Virgin Orbit successfully launches satellites during first night mission

In the early hours of Saturday, Virgin Orbit launched a rocket carrying seven satellites from California's Mojave Air and Space Port. The company brought the satellites into low Earth orbit with the help of its Boeing jumbo jet, Cosmic Girl, which had a rocket attached to one of its wings.

The mission was called Straight Up after a song by Paula Abdul. Cosmic Girl carried the rocket 35,000 feet above the ground to propel the satellites into space. The mission was put off on Thursday after it was discovered that the rocket propellant temperature was out of bounds.

Congratulations to our team for completing another successful mission to space today! We deployed a total of seven customer satellites into Low Earth Orbit as planned. #StraightUp

— Virgin Orbit (@VirginOrbit) July 2, 2022

The first test flight of Virgin Orbit failed, but it was only the fifth attempt. It deployed a set of satellites into the sky in June 2021, completed another mission earlier this year, and has been on a roll ever since. The company has four successful flights to date.

Virgin Orbit is owned by the British billionaire Richard Branson, who is also the CEO of Virgin Galactic. Last year, the company went public. Virgin Orbit is planning to take off from Cornwall, England later this year.