Virgin Orbit puts seven Space Force smallsats in orbit
Capitalism in space: Virgin Orbit last night successfully launched seven smallsats for the Space Force, using its Cosmic Girl 747 carrier plane and its LauncherOne rocket.
This was the company’s first night time launch, and its second in 2022. The leader board for the 2022 launch race remains the same:
27 SpaceX
21 China
8 Russia
4 Rocket Lab
4 ULA
The U.S. now leads China 39 to 21 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 39 to 35.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Capitalism in space: Virgin Orbit last night successfully launched seven smallsats for the Space Force, using its Cosmic Girl 747 carrier plane and its LauncherOne rocket.
This was the company’s first night time launch, and its second in 2022. The leader board for the 2022 launch race remains the same:
27 SpaceX
21 China
8 Russia
4 Rocket Lab
4 ULA
The U.S. now leads China 39 to 21 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 39 to 35.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Bob, Forgive me if I’ve overlooked it on the site, but is there a good place to go to for a good overview of the state of capabilities of cube sats. Cube sats and the Mars helicopters have t here potential of expanding our exploration and gathering of knowledge about space and Mars more than any technology since the beginning of the space age.
Thanks
Gary: I have not written any overview of the capabilities of either cubesats or interplanetary helicopters. Do some web searches, there are plenty of good sources of info out there. Just don’t depend on one.
Excellent news. Now to just keep the level of launches up. This is going to be a great year for space.
Here are some tables
https://www.nanosats.eu/tables#constellations
https://catalog.orbitaltransports.com/platforms/
No worries. I don’t mean to treat you as a reporter taking assignments from an editor.
As to your suggestion, I found this about scientists in your neck of the woods.
Robert Zubrin posted this about a proposal for a sailplane for Mars.
https://www.leonarddavid.com/wings-over-mars-motorless-sailplane-proposed/