Launch Vehicles

LauncherOne

United States Private Company

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "LauncherOne." Accessed September 1, 2026. https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/launcherone.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). LauncherOne. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/launcherone

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-launcherone,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {LauncherOne},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/launcherone},
  note = {Accessed September 1, 2026}
}

An air-launched small-satellite rocket developed by Virgin Orbit, dropped from a modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft named Cosmic Girl before igniting to reach orbit. The company achieved several successful orbital launches, including the UK's first orbital launch attempt from Spaceport Cornwall, before filing for bankruptcy in 2023.

Facts

Vehicle Class

Air-launched light-lift expendable launch vehicle 1

Manufacturer

Virgin Orbit 1

First Flight Date

2021-01-17 1

Date of its first successful orbital flight; an earlier May 2020 attempt failed shortly after release.

Status

Retired; Virgin Orbit ceased operations and liquidated its assets in 2023. 1

Sources

1. Encyclopedia Astronautica

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