The breathtaking moment @Virgin_Orbit's LauncherOne was released from #CosmicGirl - look at it go! #VirginFamily
As our first ever batch of customers begin to downlink data from their satellites, let's take a deeper dive into each of the missions that flew onboard LauncherOne this month. First up are CACTUS-1, ExoCube, and CAPE-3 ↓ Full recap:
CACTUS-1 is a 3U CubeSat from @captechu. The primary payload, TrapSat, uses aerogel to capture and profile micrometeorites and microdebris — a potential solution for cleaning up space junk in Low Earth Orbit.
Next up is ExoCube from @CalPoly, a scientific investigation to better our understanding of space weather. ExoCube takes measurements of hydrogen, oxygen, helium & nitrogen in the upper atmosphere, which helps to characterize climatology & improve scientists' atmospheric models.
We'll cap off this batch with CAPE-3 from @ULLafayette! CAPE-3's primary mission is an educational one: to allow grade school classrooms globally to access the Smartphone CubeSat Classroom and run interactive experiments through an Experimental Smartphone Ground-station Grid.
From scientific experiments to tech demonstrations, we're taking a closer look at each of the missions that flew to space onboard #LaunchDemo2. This week, the spotlight is on MITEE-1, PICS and PolarCube. 🛰 To learn more about our Launch Demo 2 mission, visit our website: https://virg.in/j7y
In January 2021, the Virgin Orbit team made history with the first successful air launch of a liquid-fueled, orbital class rocket. As LauncherOne streaked through the atmosphere that day, Virgin Orbit teammates on the ground — those not in our Mission Control Center — had all eyes and ears tuned into an internal livestream hosted by their fellow colleagues. You can check out that livestream here, edited for length, to relive our most significant milestone to date! We'll have more news to share soon about our next mission with LauncherOne. Join us as we continue our journey to provide frequent, reliable flights to space for satellite makers and operators around the world.