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
ODU RT

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
Leonardo animated rectangle


 

Advertisement
Tritax leaderboard 728x90 Tritax leaderboard 728x90
UK Space Agency invests £17m to drive space innovation

Space Events

UK Space Agency invests £17m to drive space innovation

4 December 2025

The UK Space Agency unveiled £17 million for 17 UK space projects through its National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), at Space-Comm Expo in Glasgow.

British designed satellites successfully launched

Defence Security Space

British designed satellites successfully launched

3 December 2025

A cluster of British designed and built satellites has been successfully launched into low Earth orbit, providing defence, security and civil sectors with UK space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to enhance the nation’s ability to protect against modern threats.

Filtronic awarded NSIP funding to develop 550W Ka-Band SSPA

Space

Filtronic awarded NSIP funding to develop 550W Ka-Band SSPA

3 December 2025

Filtronic has been awarded funding through the UK Space Agency National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) to develop a high-power 550W Ka-Band Solid-State Power Amplifier (SSPA).

Scottish space sector secures UK Space Agency investment

Space Events

Scottish space sector secures UK Space Agency investment

3 December 2025

Scotland’s space sector will receive a major funding boost to accelerate breakthrough technologies and boost commercialisation, the UK Space Agency will announce today at Space-Comm Expo Scotland.

Advertisement
Tritax 300x250
Airbus

Space

Airbus' ESM-4 ships out for Artemis IV

1 December 2025

Airbus' fourth European Service Module (ESM-4) has reached a major milestone, as it began its journey last week to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for Artemis IV.

UK space weather probes capture solar radiation spike

Space

UK space weather probes capture solar radiation spike

27 November 2025

New balloon-mounted space radiation probes developed by the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey have captured their first measurements of a major solar storm, confirming the research team’s model, which indicates the flare caused the highest levels of radiation at aviation altitude in almost two decades.

Advertisement
Leonardo animated rectangle