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Virgin Orbit Plans First Space Launch from Mojave Air and Space Port

According to the Victorville Daily Press, May 20, 2020, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit plans its first attempt to launch a demonstration payload into space aboard a rocket released from beneath the wing of a Boeing 747. The carrier aircraft, named Cosmic Girl, will take off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the Mojave Desert and fly out over the Pacific. Release of the LauncherOne rocket would occur near San Nicolas Island, part of the Channel Islands off the California coast. In early 2020, Virgin Orbit conducted a rehearsal flight that simulated release of the rocket. Virgin Orbit’s system will be capable of launching small satellites into space from locations around the world.

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