Mary-Louise Hoffman
Virgin Orbit will conduct an aircraft-ground equipment integration test as part of preparations to launch multiple government satellites for the U.S. Space Force.
The company said Monday its national security arm will play a key role in providing orbital services for USSF’s STP-28A mission under the Department of Defense-run Space Test Program.
Vox Space, which rebranded as Virgin Orbit National Systems, won a $35 million contract in April 2020 to help the military branch carry out three small satellite missions with technology experiments to low Earth orbit.
The upcoming launch, dubbed Straight Up and scheduled to happen no earlier than June 29, will use the company’s two-stage LauncherOne system to send seven satellites into space.
Virgin Orbit’s air-launched rocket at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California will mate with a Boeing 747 plane nicknamed Cosmic Girl after the integration testing phase.
The company expects its launch vehicle to take STP-28A payloads to an orbit approximately 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface with an inclination of 45 degrees.
Straight Up will mark the first night mission for Virgin Orbit.
