spacetoday.net: Virgin Galactic sets up LauncherOne facility in Long Beach

Virgin Galactic sets up LauncherOne facility in Long Beach

Posted: Sat, Feb 14, 2015, 8:23 PM ET (0123 GMT)
LauncherOne illustration (Virgin Galactic)

Virgin Galactic announced this week that it will establish a new center for the design and manufacturing of its LauncherOne rocket in Long Beach, California. The company said it will lease a 13,900-square-meter building at the Long Beach Airport that will serve as the home of work on LauncherOne, a small launch vehicle. The vehicle, airlaunched by the same WhiteKnightTwo aircraft used by the company's SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle, is designed for low-cost launches of satellites weighing up to about 225 kilograms, with a first launch planned in 2016. The company plans to hold a job fair at the new site in March, but did not disclose how many jobs they plan to create there.