Virgin Orbit Rocket Deploys 7 US Defense Satellites to Conduct Various Experiments

The Virgin Orbit's rocket on Friday, July 1, carried out an important mission for the United States Defense.

The space company was tasked to deploy seven U.S. Defense Department satellites using a special Boeing 747, which sped off towards space while flying off the coast of Southern California, according to A.P.'s report.

From Mojave Air and Space Port in the Mojave Desert, the modified jumbo jet blasted off to space, launching the rocket over the Pacific Ocean to the northwest of Los Angeles.

The U.S. Space Force for a Defense test program was responsible for funding the launch project. Additionally, the seven payloads will carry out numerous experiments.

According to the company's tweet on Friday, their Mission Control relayed the information that NewtonFour has successfully launched all customer spacecraft "into their target orbit."

Virgin Orbit live-streamed the launching event, and everyone can watch the replay on their YouTube channel.

According to Virgin Orbit, these seven satellites came from various government agencies and were launched as part of an experiment to showcase space domain awareness, new adaptive radio frequency, and modular satellite bus technology.

The Straight Up launch backed the STP-28A mission of the United States Space Force. In April 2020, the U.S. Space Force gave Virgin Orbit National Systems the green light to launch STP-28A.

"This launch was particularly important for Virgin Orbit as it marks the first night mission for the responsive launch company. The orbit was approximately 500km above the Earth's surface at 45 degrees inclination - an orbit that Virgin Orbit made history in reaching with its previous mission, Above The Clouds," the company wrote in a press release.

Paula Abdul's "Straight Up"

The song "Straight Up" from American singer Paula Abdul's debut studio album "Forever Your Girl" served as the inspiration for the launch moniker, Straight Up.

According to the space company, it was the most popular and successful debut album ever when it was released on June 21, 1988, through Virgin Records. The classic dance-pop song remains to be Abdul's top international hit to date.

Before the launch, Paula Abdul paid a visit to the Virgin Orbit crew to view LauncherOne and Cosmic Girl prepared for flight.

Since starting its commercial launch operations, Virgin Orbit has been expanding "straight up," according to the company's CEO Dan Hart.

He continued by saying that the company increasingly realizes how crucial space is to the security of the U.S. and its allies. Hart stated Virgin Orbit is "honored and committed" to supporting the Space Force at "this critical time."

It was the company's first night launch and fourth commercial launch overall. The launch was supposed to happen on Wednesday night, but because of a propellant temperature difficulty, that initial plan was scrapped.

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla