Virgin Orbit Reaches Space! Overview of LauncherOne and the Demo-2 Launch

What is LauncherOne? Why is it dropped from an airplane? How will it compete with Rocket Lab's Electron?

0:00 Introduction
0:26 Demo-2 Launch
2:09 Air-launched Rockets
4:48 Pegasus Rocket
5:21 Specs of LauncherOne
6:01 Demo-1 Recap
6:27 LauncherOne vs Electron
7:05 Conclusion

Virgin Orbit reaches Space! On January 18th, 2021, the LauncherOne vehicle successfully launched the ELaNa 20 mission for NASA into orbit. This being the first to reach orbit for the company. LauncherOne is dropped from a Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl. The two-stage rockets utilize the NewtonThree and NewtonFour engines, both developed by Virgin Orbit, and rely on Kerosene and Oxygen as their fuel source. The rocket is a two-stage small satellite launch vehicle.

By using an air-launched rocket, LauncherOne is able to increase the mass it can carry to orbit. Additionally, Virgin Orbit intends to launch from airports around the globe to reach different orbit inclinations. However, this first mission reached a 500km by 500 km orbit with an inclination of 60 degrees. Disadvantages of air-launched rockets include, limited in size by the carrier aircraft, additional forces due to ascent flight, and the few moments of freefall prior to ignition.

How does LauncherOne compare to Electron? Although LauncherOne can carry 500 kg to a Sun-synchronous orbit, it does cost $12 million, compared to Electron which can send 300 kg to Low Earth Orbit at a $7.5 million price point. The two vehicles will be in close competition with each other as they continue to develop and improve.

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Видео Virgin Orbit Reaches Space! Overview of LauncherOne and the Demo-2 Launch канала Martian Wolf