Virgin Orbit

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Virgin Orbit Is Dead
Goodbye to
Virgin Orbit
May 24, 2023 9:40 AM CDT

Goodbye to Virgin Orbit

Bankrupt company sells $36M in assets, waves goodbye

(Newser) - Virgin Orbit is no more. Richard Branson's company, which sought to deliver satellites to low Earth orbit using a modified Boeing 747 , has officially shut down after failing to secure the necessary funding to stay afloat. Its first-ever satellite mission in the UK in January was marred by a...

Virgin Orbit Is Laying Off Almost All of Its Workers

Satellite launch firm has failed to secure funding lifeline

(Newser) - Virgin Orbit's temporary pause on operations after a failed launch earlier this year has become a permanent move for almost all of the company's workers. CEO Dan Hart told employees in an all-hands call Thursday that operations at the satellite launch firm are ending for the "foreseeable...

After Failed Launch, Virgin Orbit Ceases Operating

Company that lost its rocket, satellites in January has furloughed most of its staff

(Newser) - The good news for most of Virgin Orbit's employees on Wednesday: They're getting at least a week off, starting ASAP. The bad news: It's unpaid furlough, as the California-based company tries to seek out more funding after a failed rocket launch in the UK in January, reports...

'Pinch Yourself:' Virgin Launches Satellites From a 747

7 satellites were from 3 countries

(Newser) - Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit delivered satellites from three countries into space on Wednesday, its second successful rocket launch from a plane. The company’s modified 747 jet, dubbed Cosmic Girl, took off from California’s Mojave Desert, carrying the 70-foot rocket beneath its left wing. Once the plane was...

2nd Time's the Charm: Virgin Orbit Reaches Space

Richard Branson's company succeeds Sunday, 8 months after failed flight

(Newser) - Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit reached space on Sunday, eight months after the first demonstration flight of its air-launched rocket system failed, the company said. A 70-foot-long LauncherOne rocket was released from beneath the wing of a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft off the coast of Southern California, ignited moments later,...

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