Jenam 2011A Virgin Orbit rocket carrying seven US Department of Defense satellites was launched from a special Boeing 747 flying off the coast of Southern California coast and headed into space on Friday evening.
The modified jumbo lifted off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the Mojave Desert and dropped the rocket over the Pacific Ocean northwest of Los Angeles.
The launch was purchased by the US Space Force for a Department of Defense test program. The seven payloads will conduct various experiments.
SEE IT: HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE REVEALS DISTORTIONS OF A BIG MASSIVE GALAXY
“There you go, friends!” the company tweeted shortly before 1 a.m. local time, about an hour after the rocket separated from the 747. “NewtonFour successfully reignited and deployed all customer spacecraft to their target orbit.”
It was Virgin Orbit’s fourth commercial launch and first night launch. The launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday evening, but that attempt was canceled due to a propellant temperature issue.
Virgin Orbit named the mission “Straight Up” after the success of Paula Abdul’s debut studio album “Forever Your Girl”, released by Virgin Records in 1988.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 by British billionaire Richard Branson. It is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and currently conducts launches from Mojave Airport, but plans international missions.
Later this year, the company will launch two satellites on a mission from Newquay Airport in Cornwall, England. The satellites will carry out radio signal monitoring tests as part of a joint project between the UK Ministry of Defense and the US National Reconnaissance Office.
Original location: Virgin Orbit rocket launches seven US defense satellites
Washington Examiner Videos
