Virgin Orbit’s 747-launched rocket fails to reach orbit on debut

Space company Virgin Orbit is on the cusp of launching the satellite industry into a new era. It’s working on a system that could launch small commercial satellites from the back of a 747 jumbo jet, from just about anywhere in the world. Today, the company held a demonstration flight of its system, which saw the jet take off, drop the rocket, and watch as it lit its engine and climb higher into the atmosphere. But unfortunately, that’s where the mission ended. Virgin Orbit announced that the rocket experienced an “anomaly” during its first phase of ascent, bringing an early end to the mission. The rocket did not reach orbit.<br><br>---<br><br>##Submissions that may interest you<br><br>SUBMISSION | DOMAIN<br>---|----<br>Virgin Orbit’s 747-launched rocket fails to reach orbit on debut | arstechnica.com<br>Virgin Orbit fails to launch its first commercial payload to orbit; Rocket’s liquid fuel system suffered an anomaly | techcrunch.com<br>Virgin Orbit's first launch attempt from a 747 ends in failure | theverge.com<br>Virgin Orbit fails to reach orbit on first launch attempt | cnet.com<br>Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket fails to reach space • The Register | theregister.com