Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:VORB) confirmed reports that the initial launch window for the UK's first orbital space flight will open next Monday, 9 January at just past 10pm and close just after midnight.
Additional back-up dates are in mid and late January, the company said.
Carrying satellites from seven customers as part of its commercial payload, the LauncherOne rocket was 'mated' with its carrier aircraft, a converted Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl, at Spaceport Cornwall, the company said in a statement, following completion of launch rehearsal that included loading propellants and checking the health of the system and readiness of the team.
With the launch initially delayed from the late summer, November and December, and it being the first launch of its kind from Spaceport Cornwall, the first orbital launch from UK soil, the first commercial launch from western Europe and the company's first international launch, Virgin Orbit said it and its partners will "maintain a conservative posture with regard to system health, weather, and all other elements of scheduling".
Spaceport Cornwall won the UK’s first spaceport license in November, Virgin Orbit was issued the first launch and range control licenses in the country last month and yesterday, the Civil Aviation Authority announced that all of the satellites flying on this mission have received their licenses as well.
UK Space Agency deputy CEO Ian Annett said: “We are entering a new era for space in the UK with the first ever satellite launch from UK soil and from Europe. This is a significant landmark for the nation, the UK Space Agency and for all those who have worked so hard over many years to make our ambitions to create a commercial space launch capability a reality.”
He added that he was looking forward to seeing more launches from other UK spaceports over the coming year, “putting us firmly on the map as Europe’s leading destination for commercial small satellite launch”.
Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said the launch demonstrated that with the horizontal launch system using a converted jumbo jet meant “an airport can become a spaceport that sends humankind’s innovations on their journey.”
Start Me Up, which like all Virgin Orbit’s rockets was designed and manufactured in California, will be the fifth Virgin Orbit launch to carry payloads for both private companies and government agencies.