Author Topic: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future  (Read 189665 times)

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #260 on: 06/02/2018 03:51 pm »
Quote
Sirisha Bandla, Virgin Orbit: no payloads on the first LauncherOne mission, but second one will be for NASA [Venture Class Launch Services, presumably]. #DPSS18

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1002927814318927873

Offline ringsider

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #261 on: 06/03/2018 07:10 am »
I've often said I am highly impressed by Virgin's commitment and resources.

Here's another example - the list of open positions:-

https://careers-virginorbit.icims.com/jobs/search?ss=1

42 open roles - more than most other newspace companies have in total, I would imagine.

And that ls in addition to the hundreds they have now.

Impressive, honestly.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #262 on: 06/04/2018 11:59 am »
New article by Eric Berger:

Quote
With a simple and cheap rocket, Virgin Orbit aims for the extraordinary
With a first flight months away, we take a long look at the launch company.

by Eric Berger - Jun 4, 2018 11:30pm UTC

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/06/with-an-airplane-and-now-a-rocket-virgin-orbit-readies-for-prime-time/

Photos provided to Ars by Virgin Orbit.

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #263 on: 06/05/2018 10:41 pm »
Very nice looking LV!

https://twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit/status/1004127337019871237

It’s a LauncherOne on the move! Belated apologies to any Long Beach motorists, but this Very Important Rocket has places to be. We’ve still got some milestones ahead, but every day we get closer to flight.

And Michael is working an article of this next milestone - and I'll set up a standalone section (as I hinted about a while back) for Virgin. We're at that point now :)
« Last Edit: 06/05/2018 10:43 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Lars-J

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #264 on: 06/05/2018 11:12 pm »
Wow, that that thing is a lot larger than I imagined.   8)

(trying desperately to avoid a "that's what she said" joke, and failing)  ;D

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #265 on: 06/06/2018 06:52 am »
More & higher res pics from the Virgin Orbit tweet

Online CameronD

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #266 on: 06/06/2018 08:02 am »
Wow, that that thing is a lot larger than I imagined.   8)

It's certainly difficult to imagine it hanging from a 747.. it looks too big!  :o
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine - however, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are
going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead.

Offline Yeknom-Ecaps

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #267 on: 06/09/2018 02:22 am »
Very nice looking LV!

https://twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit/status/1004127337019871237

It’s a LauncherOne on the move! Belated apologies to any Long Beach motorists, but this Very Important Rocket has places to be. We’ve still got some milestones ahead, but every day we get closer to flight.

And Michael is working an article of this next milestone - and I'll set up a standalone section (as I hinted about a while back) for Virgin. We're at that point now :)

Where were they moving it from/to?

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #268 on: 06/09/2018 03:01 am »
Very nice looking LV!

https://twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit/status/1004127337019871237

It’s a LauncherOne on the move! Belated apologies to any Long Beach motorists, but this Very Important Rocket has places to be. We’ve still got some milestones ahead, but every day we get closer to flight.

And Michael is working an article of this next milestone - and I'll set up a standalone section (as I hinted about a while back) for Virgin. We're at that point now :)

Where were they moving it from/to?
First to Long Beach Airport (KLGB) to see Cosmic Girl for a fit check then to Mohave Desert for a long battery of tests.
« Last Edit: 06/14/2018 05:48 pm by russianhalo117 »

Offline Lar

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #269 on: 06/11/2018 11:53 pm »
Where were they moving it from/to?

They are moving Cosmic Girl and the rocket from Long Beach to the Mohave Desert for captive carry testing.

Are they shipping them separately or mounting the rocket on CG for the transit?
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Offline Yeknom-Ecaps

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #270 on: 06/14/2018 12:42 am »
Did it move on June 4th or 5th?

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #271 on: 06/28/2018 05:19 am »
Quote
Stephen Eisele, Virgin Orbit: our next major milestone is a captive carry flight, in just over a week. Next after that will be orbital flight test, which will be as soon as possible after we analyze data from captive carry. #newspace2018

https://twitter.com/ponder68/status/1012120094670024704

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Eisele: hope to do first launch by the end of the summer, but depends on outcome of captive carry test. #NewSpace2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1012119813517279232

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Eisele: will deploy test rocket (without ignition) at end of captive carry flight. Only plan for a single captive carry test, but may do more if needed. #NewSpace2018

https://twitter.com/wikkit/status/1012130838186807296
« Last Edit: 06/28/2018 05:20 am by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline imprezive

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #272 on: 06/28/2018 05:54 am »
Exciting that we’ll get to see a rocket on a plane as soon as next week.

Offline cd-slam

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #273 on: 06/29/2018 11:17 pm »
Quote: @VirginOrbit After that, we’ll practice flying with a fully integrated #LauncherOne. On that rocket's final flight, we'll run one more key test: dropping the rocket from Cosmic Girl. It'll free fall all the way back to Earth, collecting data all the way. /unquote

If the rocket free falls all the way back to Earth, won't it make a pretty ugly mess when it gets there? Not to mention the waste of a perfectly good rocket.

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Offline gongora

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #274 on: 06/30/2018 12:10 am »
If the rocket free falls all the way back to Earth, won't it make a pretty ugly mess when it gets there?

Dropping an unfueled rocket in the desert won't make that much of a mess.
« Last Edit: 06/30/2018 12:13 am by gongora »

Offline HMXHMX

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #275 on: 06/30/2018 04:25 am »
If the rocket free falls all the way back to Earth, won't it make a pretty ugly mess when it gets there?

Dropping an unfueled rocket in the desert won't make that much of a mess.

I concur.  ;)

This was the result from the 2005 t/Space Proteus drop over a BLM dry lakebed a half hour from Mojave.  About 1/4 scale in comparison to LauncherOne, I reckon.  Even as heavy as some components were, it hardly made a dent.  I tried to locate some of the images of our QuickReach drop test "after-effects" but couldn't find them.  That was more impressive: 72,000 lbm from 34,000 ft...

A sad historical note: the pilot for Proteus on this mission was Mike Alsbury, who died in the SpaceShipTwo accident.

Online Robotbeat

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #276 on: 07/02/2018 03:40 am »
Quote
Virgin Galactic ‏@virgingalactic  1h1 hour ago
Our #LauncherOne structures team met their 2016 goal of building tanks, interstages, and aft skirts for 4 launch vehicles.  Well done, team

Virgin Galactic ‏@virgingalactic  1h1 hour ago
And our #LauncherOne liquid propulsion team is really rocking now. Completed multiple long-duration, high thrust firings of our engines

Virgin Galactic ‏@virgingalactic  1h1 hour ago
We're running full, operational tests of our #LauncherOne boost & upper stage Newton rocket engines. Thanks to @barbernichols for pump work.

Virgin Galactic ‏@virgingalactic  1h1 hour ago
Lots more great progress on #LauncherOne happening behind the scenes, too. We are looking forward to a very productive 2017!
This was over 18 months ago. Shouldn't they be further along by now?
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Offline Star One

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #277 on: 07/05/2018 08:11 pm »
Quote
In the next few days, we’ll start the process of attaching our launch pylon (the “hooks” that secure the rocket to the plane) to #CosmicGirl. Soon after, we’ll conduct our first test flights w/ the pylon before moving on to a series of captive carry flights w/ #LauncherOne.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Virgin_Orbit/status/1014948024697536517

Online meekGee

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #278 on: 07/06/2018 04:06 am »
Maybe to underscore Robotbeats's point, it is soon going to be 20 years since SS1 development began...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites_Tier_One#History_and_status

Quote
According to Scaled Composites, the concept for the program originated in April 1996, preliminary development began in 1999, and full development began in April 2001.
« Last Edit: 07/06/2018 04:34 am by meekGee »
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Offline Star One

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Re: Virgin Orbit preparing for busy LauncherOne future
« Reply #279 on: 07/09/2018 08:40 pm »
Quote
John Fuller, Virgin Orbit: will be integrating LauncherOne pylon with 747 aircraft “shortly”, with captive carry flight campaign to start soon thereafter. #AIAAPropEnergy

https://mobile.twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1016413412170059776

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