Expanding launch opportunities
Virgin Orbit signs letter of intent with POLSA
Virgin Orbit continues to expand its opportunities for international space launch activities, signing a letter of intent with the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) to bring space launch capabilities to that country and Eastern Europe.
The letter signed, last month, between POLSA and Virgin Orbit leaders, formalizes the Polish space development agency’s intent to study how LauncherOne could be used to further that nation’s science and economic interests, according to a press release.
Virgin Orbit’s “flying launch pad,” a former Virgin Atlantic airliner known as Cosmic Girl, has used the Mojave Air and Space Port as its starting and ending point for test flights and launch missions that typically take place over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The system is capable of launching from virtually anywhere with a long enough runway.
The airplane carries the LauncherOne rocket beneath a wing to a launch altitude of about 35,000 feet, at which point it is released, the rocket motor is lit and then it carries its payload into orbit.
“Today’s agreement marks an important step to providing assured access to space for Poland and surrounding nations — serving Polish industry, science and security,” Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said in the release. “Poland’s forward thinking is inspiring at this critical juncture for Europe and we’re honored to serve them and partner with the Polish space community to open space for good.”
Poland’s location, without a large, open ocean over which to launch from land, means that ground-based vertical launches are not possible, as any such rocket would be launched over populated areas.
Virgin Orbit’s system, which takes off from a standard runway then heads over open ocean for launch, provides a viable option.
“For Poland, today’s event is another step toward building a sovereign satellite system, which is crucial in the current geopolitical situation,” Minister of Economic Development and Technology Piotr Nowak said in the release. “Development of new technologies, including navigation, Earth imaging or telecommunications are irreplaceable in ensuring national security and solving crisis situations.”
President of the Polish Space Agency Grzegorz Wrochna emphasized that the signed letter is a crowning touch to several months’ period of intense negotiations, conducted in tight coordination with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.
“The demonstrated inter
est and concrete declarations indicate that Poland is an attractive partner for global players, such as Virgin Orbit,” Wrochna said. “Even more importantly, this agreement further positions our domestic space sector in the competitive upstream segment of the international space market. Thanks to the LauncherOne technology, Poland will be able to provide launch services also to other countries in the area, in particular within the Three Seas region.”
Although it, so far, has only launched from Mojave, Virgin Orbit has agreements in place for future operations in Japan and Brazil and is expected to conduct its first flight from the United Kingdom, later this year.