On January 18, British billionaire Richard Branson's virgin orbit put 10 satellites into earth orbit for the first time on Sunday local time, marking the success of a new low-cost satellite launch method and possibly having a significant impact on the aerospace industry.

The Boeing 747, customized by Virgin orbit, took off from its sister company Virgin Galactic's space port in the Mojave Desert, and attached the rocket launcherone to its wing, rising to an altitude of 10668 meters. After reaching the predetermined position, the rocket is released and ignited to put the microsatellite into earth orbit.

Dan Hart, President and CEO of virgin rail, stressed that the test flight was a success and that the company was "very happy to have the data generated along the way" so that it could continue to develop and improve the launch system.

Virgin orbit hopes to take advantage of the satellite technology revolution to become a subversive force in the satellite launch market. This revolution is helping to shrink satellites and reduce their costs. The company uses a small two-stage rocket about 21 meters high, which can carry multiple microsatellites.

The company doesn't launch vertically from a launch pad on the ground. The so-called "air launch" technology means that the rocket has been sent above the atmosphere, and when it starts the engine, it flies at a speed of slightly less than Mach 1. What's more, virgin rail doesn't need a lot of ground infrastructure, but can take off flexibly from any runway that can hold 747.

Virgin orbit has spent years developing this method of launching rockets in the air, and since 2018 it has conducted increasingly complex flight tests. The company attempted its first launch in May last year, but the engine stalled shortly after it ignited.

After investigation, there is a "problem in the high pressure pipeline" transporting liquid oxygen to the first stage combustion chamber. But Hart said before Sunday's launch that the company had solved the problem and had "conducted a lot of testing since then.".

During the test flight on Sunday, the new launch mission carried 10 microsatellites. It's a partnership between virgin orbit and NASA that allows universities and other institutions to launch small satellites for earth observation, weather forecasting and other scientific and research projects. After delaying the return of data to the ground, the company confirmed that all satellites were "successfully deployed to the target orbit.".

Virgin orbit is entering a crowded market where many companies already want to profit from launching small satellites. Rocket lab, launched from New Zealand, has put several payloads into orbit for commercial and government customers. The company plans to launch soon from Wallops island on the east coast of Virginia.

These companies are following in the footsteps of Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has upended the launch market by offering preferential launch prices with reusable Falcon 9 rockets. Virgin orbit said it believes the small satellite launch market will grow rapidly. Ultimately, it wants to expand its business to include the launch of satellites from commercial companies, the US space force and US intelligence agencies.

This flight is the first successful space launch of virgin orbit, marking a great victory for Branson, who now owns two space companies and has successfully entered space with two different aircraft.

Branson's Virgin Galactic is committed to becoming "the first commercial space company in the world" to allow tourists to travel to and from the edge of space. It has twice taken people to the edge of space for suborbital travel and is ready to deliver paid passengers as soon as this year. Branson is optimistic that he will be able to board a space flight later this year to realize his dream of entering space. (small)

Source: Netease technology report, translated by Baidu