Virgin Group has offered the Pentagon a new rocket for launching satellites into space

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The United States Department of Defense may soon have at its disposal another method of launching satellites into space. As transmits "Warspot" With reference to the breakingdefense.com portal, the Virgin Group Corporation offers the US military Launcher One a rocket launched in the air from a carrier aircraft.

Virgin Group has offered the Pentagon a new rocket for launching satellites into space




As reported, Richard Branson, who is the founder of the Virgin Group, has already met with representatives of the US defense department, during which he offered the military development of the company: Launcher One - a rocket that is launched from an aircraft and is capable of launching a satellite into space. According to him, the military was very interested in this project.

LauncherOne booster is being developed from 2008 of the year. In October, 2015, the company reported on successful fire tests of rocket engines, and on November 18 in California over the Mojave Desert, the company conducted its first successful missile tests.

As stated in the company, Launcher One rocket is designed to launch small satellites and can put into orbit a load up to 500 kg. It is a one-time two-stage rocket that will be launched from under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. The length is slightly more than 20 meters, the weight is approximately 25 tons. A feature of this rocket is the ability to launch at any time of the day without the use of space centers, but only if there is a runway for the aircraft carrier. The plane rises to an altitude of 10 km, after which it must bend over 25 degrees and release the rocket.

To date, the Virgin Orbit is participating as a finalist in the DARPA Launch Challenge program, according to the results of which the Pentagon wants to get alternative technology to quickly launch satellites into orbit.
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    1. +3
      April 16 2019 15: 12
      The first full flight very soon (weeks). They have already worked out a rocket maneuver + passed the firing of the first rocket.


      In addition to participating in the government program, Branson received a big contract on 36 launches for OneWeb.
      1. -2
        April 16 2019 15: 20
        Yeah ... We decided to launch with Jumbo,

        ... so as not to bother with the design of the "missile carrier"
    2. +1
      April 16 2019 16: 17
      Yeah ... that's the topic. Launch rockets with the cheapest from space tz. platforms - almost from civilian charters. Perhaps this is a blow to all these little racket racks. After this, only heavy carriers can survive as starting from the ground. Every little thing can replace a similar budget air start.
      1. 0
        April 16 2019 17: 12
        Price is important. Vaughn Pegasus was fluttering, fluttering and dying - with passing file of Antares, he almost did not bury the Orbital (or rather, buried it - Northrop bought it). 43 launch, from 95, the year in operation HL version on 440kg output. Only one thing - more than 40mln per launch (for NASA, the price tag for 60mln in general increased in the 2016 mission of the year). Actually it decided the rocket. Last launched in 2016 year. No more money.


        Branson has a more modern rocket and a much cheaper one. Possible and take off.
      2. 0
        April 16 2019 17: 15
        There has long been an air launch for the former ATK, they rarely fly with problems
        1. 0
          April 16 2019 17: 26
          Orbital has very expensive rockets, and that buries them. The same Antares fattened up to 85mln for launch. As a result, the only customer of NASA for the ISS is that they pay about 150mln, but this is with Zingus that Orbital does and drowns. No one else could sell. For it is very, simply indecently big price.

          Pegasus is dead. They have another start-up paid by NASA due to Northrop's absorption being delayed. But in the schedule for this year is no date. Launch and bury the rocket. Extremely expensive.
        2. 0
          April 16 2019 17: 52
          Quote: slipped
          There has long been an air launch for the former ATK, they rarely fly with problems

          The trick is to start almost from the serial and mass (read, inexpensive) media.
          1. 0
            April 16 2019 17: 55
            No, a rocket chip. If it is expensive, then no matter what the carrier. Dig in. It is today. For a bunch of companies in the category up to 500kg are reaching the market - the competition in the next 5 years will be simply unreal. At the level of some smartphones.

            Pegasus was thrown from Tristar, also quite a popular airliner.
    3. 0
      April 17 2019 06: 01
      Well done.
      An interesting solution to reduce the cost of launching rockets into space.
      Let in outer space, and a small output payload, but cheap.

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