Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Space
  • /
  • Virgin Orbit LauncherOne mated with Cosmic Girl

Space

Virgin Orbit LauncherOne mated with Cosmic Girl

Virgin Orbit has today revealed the first full images of their rocket, ‘LauncherOne’, as it was ‘mated’ with Cosmic Girl for the first time at the Virgin Orbit base in Long Beach, California.

LauncherOne will be strapped to the bottom of the specially converted Virgin Atlantic plane named ‘Cosmic Girl’ and flown to an altitude of 30,000 feet where LauncherOne will detach and its thrusters will engage taking the rocket into outer space.

 LauncherOne, at 70feet long, is the length of two London buses, and will travel at astonishing speeds of over 20x the speed of sound (17,500mph). The rocket weighs 57,000 pounds or 25,800kg which is the equivalent to 25 small family cars.

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle

LauncherOne’s payload will carry satellites which could be as small as a loaf of bread or as large as a household refrigerator. The satellites will deliver everything from internet, in even the most remote regions, to advanced weather tracking systems to help in the battle against climate change.

Advertisement
ODU RT


 

Advertisement
Tritax leaderboard 728x90 Tritax leaderboard 728x90
BIAS 2026 to focus on AAM, sustainability and innovation

Aerospace Defence Space Events

BIAS 2026 to focus on AAM, sustainability and innovation

11 November 2025

The biennial Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) - taking place next year, 18th-20th November 2026 - is to feature a dedicated focus on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), consider efforts to build a more sustainable aviation infrastructure and explore defence and space business innovation.

UK completes tenure as CEOS Chair

Space

UK completes tenure as CEOS Chair

11 November 2025

The UK has concluded its tenure as Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), marking a transformative year for the global Earth observation (EO) community.

Airbus ships ESM-4 for Artemis IV

Space

Airbus ships ESM-4 for Artemis IV

10 November 2025

The fourth European Service Module (ESM-4) is on its way from Airbus’ facilities in Bremen, Germany to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, where it will be tested and integrated with the Orion Crew Module ready for the next stage of NASA’s Artemis programme.

BA to roll out free Starlink Wi-Fi connectivity

Aerospace Space

BA to roll out free Starlink Wi-Fi connectivity

6 November 2025

British Airways has signed a major deal with Starlink to provide every customer in every cabin with free Wi-Fi connectivity from next year, signifying a significant investment for the airline as part of its £7 billion transformation journey.

Advertisement
Tritax 300x250
Filtronic secures order for satellite payload assemblies

Space

Filtronic secures order for satellite payload assemblies

6 November 2025

Provider of high-frequency RF solutions for space applications, Sedgefield based Filtronic, has secured a contract with a leading European aerospace manufacturer, to supply RF assemblies for integration into a major Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation programme.

Recent events highlight need for more resilient UK space systems

Defence Space

Recent events highlight need for more resilient UK space systems

6 November 2025

At the Global MilSatCom conference in London today, Nik Smith, Director of Space at Lockheed Martin UK, told delegates that the UK should accelerate investment in sovereign, resilient space systems to safeguard national security and drive economic growth.

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle