Virgin Orbit just earned the orbit part of its name

Enlarge / LauncherOne heads to orbit after dropping from its carrier aircraft on Sunday. (credit: Virgin Orbit)

On Sunday afternoon, Virgin Orbit joined the rare club of companies that have privately developed a rocket and successfully launched it into orbit. Moreover, with its LauncherOne rocket dropped from a 747 aircraft, the California-based company has become the first to reach orbit with an air-launched, liquid-fueled rocket.

"This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit," said Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the company. "Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible."

Sunday's flight, which included multiple firings of LauncherOne's upper stage engine and successful deployment of several small satellites for NASA, caps a development program that has spanned about eight years and myriad technical challenges.

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments