Virgin Galactic buys Boeing 747 for LauncherOne
Posted: Sun, Dec 6, 2015, 10:02 AM ET (1502 GMT)
Virgin Galactic unveiled Thursday a Boeing 747 that will serve as the carrier aircraft for its LauncherOne smallsat vehicle. The 747, previously owned by Virgin Atlantic, will be modified to allow LauncherOne to attach to the plane's left wing. Using the 747, rather than Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo plane, allows the company to increase the size of LauncherOne, doubling its payload performance. Modifications to the 747 will be done in late 2016, and LauncherOne test launches are planned for some time in 2017.
Virgin Galactic unveiled Thursday a Boeing 747 that will serve as the carrier aircraft for its LauncherOne smallsat vehicle. The 747, previously owned by Virgin Atlantic, will be modified to allow LauncherOne to attach to the plane's left wing. Using the 747, rather than Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo plane, allows the company to increase the size of LauncherOne, doubling its payload performance. Modifications to the 747 will be done in late 2016, and LauncherOne test launches are planned for some time in 2017.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, April 3
SpaceX successfully launches 29 Starlink satellites
Spectrum News — 6:39 am ET (1039 GMT) Space Force using ‘integrated test teams’ to speed up capability delivery
Defensescoop — 6:39 am ET (1039 GMT) Space Launcher Shortages Are Poised To Persist
Aviation Week — 6:38 am ET (1038 GMT) SpaceX and OpenAI IPOs are unlikely to bring skyrocketing returns that Amazon and Apple did, as companies go public later in life and early investors cash out
The Conversation — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) SpaceX’s IPO could be the largest-ever public offering—what to know before investing, from experts
CNBC — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) |
