An Air-Launched Rocket
An artist's illustration of Virgin Orbit's 747 jumbo jet "Cosmic Girl" launching a LauncherOne rocket from high altitude. The air-launch system was originally a project of Virgin Galactic, which unveiled the rocket-toting carrier plane on Dec. 3, 2015. Virgin Orbit formed in 2017 and took over development.
Orbital Launches
Artist's illustration of Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne vehicle, which is designed to put small satellites into orbit for a relatively low cost.
LauncherOne Factory
Job seekers lined up at specialty stations inside Virgin Galactic's new LauncherOne facility, which opened in Long Beach, California, last Saturday. The crowd was estimated to be almost 7,000 strong.
Cosmic Girl Unveiling
Sir Richard Branson introduces LauncherOne to the world.
An Early Concept
An early concept of LauncherOne called for it to be launched from Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo carrier planes just like the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft.
An Early Concept
Conceptual Illustration of WhiteKnightTwo mated with LauncherOne.
An Early Concept
A concept illustration shows Virgin Galactic's LauncherOne rocket deploying beneath the WhiteKnightTwo mothership. Image released July 10, 2012.
WhiteKnightTwo Carries LauncherOne
Virgin Galactic carrier aircraft WhiteknightTwo carries LauncherOne.
WhiteKnightTwo with LauncherOne on the Runway
Virgin Galactic carrier aircraft WhiteknightTwo with LauncherOne
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Releasing Payload
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne releases its small satellite payload.