The company Stratolaunch has announced it will acquire Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 and its related parts and equipment. This acquisition is expected to close by July 31, 2023, and was approved by the US Bankruptcy Court in charge of Virgin Orbit’s Chapter 11, which began earlier this year and gave ‘Cosmic Girl’ an unforeseen new opportunity at flying.
Acquiring ‘Cosmic Girl’
On Thursday, the Mojave-based company Stratolaunch announced it will acquire ‘Cosmic Girl,’ Virgin Orbit’s modified 747, which was at the center of the company’s plans to conquer outer space.
It has now found an unexpected second opportunity through its sale to Stratolaunch. Doctor Zachary Krevor, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company, said the addition of this aircraft is a transformational milestone. This additional 747 will bring the company’s platform expanded capabilities and flexibility. “We will be able to increase both our flight test capacity and reach to become an even stronger partner to global customers.”
Following the closing of the acquisition, the 747 will undergo maintenance and modification to accommodate its new hypersonic test mission. Stratolaunch is looking to test hypersonic technology and expects to operate its first hypersonic flight in late summer 2023.
How’s Stratolaunch testing hypersonic technology?
Stratolaunch currently has another aircraft called Roc. This incredible-looking aircraft has a total wingspan of 385 feet and is powered by six Boeing 747 engines. It is currently the world’s biggest aircraft. It is currently used to launch recoverable hypersonic vehicles that the aerospace industry will use for high-speed flight testing, according to a report by The Drive.
With Roc – an affectionate name inspired by a mythological bird capable of hunting elephants – Stratolaunch recently completed a separation test of the Talon-A separation test vehicle, TA-0. This test demonstrated the Talon-A launch system can cleanly and safely separate hypersonic vehicles from Roc’s center-wing pylon.
Following this successful test and the acquisition of ‘Cosmic Girl,’ Zachary Krevor added,
“The need for hypersonic testing has never been greater, and we are committed to fulfilling this national imperative. We are making tremendous strides as we continue to enable the future of hypersonic testing. With the recent successful Talon-A separation test, we are excited to prepare for our first hypersonic flight of the TA-1 testbed.”
About Cosmic Girl
The Boeing 747-400 registration N744VG, commonly known as ‘Cosmic Girl,’ is a modified widebody powered by four GE CF6 jet engines which has been used by Virgin Orbit to launch rockets in the sky. Its last mission took place in January. It was a failure. Virgin Orbit rocket LauncherOne suffered an anomaly in the second launch phase after reaching space successfully. This failed attempt was the last straw on the company’s financial pressure, and it finally announced it will shut down this week.
Cosmic Girl is a 21.67 years-old aircraft. It was first ordered by Virgin Atlantic in August 2000 and was delivered in October 2001. Throughout its history, the aircraft always remained within the Richard Branson company, first flying for Virgin Atlantic between 2001 and 2015 and then for Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit since 2015.
Are you excited to see ‘Cosmic Girl’ get another shot? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: The Drive.
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