Jane Edwards
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket deployed four Department of Defense satellites into low-Earth orbit on Wednesday as part of a rideshare mission, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.
The company’s carrier aircraft Cosmic Girl lifted off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California and released LauncherOne in midair to enable the rocket to deliver the cubesat payloads into target orbit.
The Defense Innovation Unit awarded the STP-27VPA launch mission to Virgin Orbit’s VOX Space subsidiary as part of the Space Test Program. DOD acquired the rideshare launch service for the military satellites as part of the Rapid Agile Launch Initiative of the Space and Missile Systems Center.
LauncherOne also deployed a military satellite for the Royal Netherlands Air Force and two optical satellites for SatRevolution as part of the rideshare mission, which marks the rocket’s second launch following a flight demonstration in January.
If you’re interested in the U.S. military’s space technology procurement efforts, then check out the GovCon Wire’s Space Acquisition Forum coming up on Sept. 14. To register for this virtual forum and view other upcoming events, visit the GCW Events page.
