Virgin Orbit has successfully completed its fourth consecutive satellite launch mission. The launch was named Straight Up and was the company's first nighttime mission that carried seven satellites to Low Earth Orbit for the United States Space Force. To date, Virgin Orbit has now delivered a total of 33 satellites to orbit using its modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft named Cosmic Girl.

An evening on the concrete

The mission happened on July 1st, whereby Virgin Orbit's fully mobile LauncherOne system launched from a bare concrete pad and a runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The launch began at around 22:50 and had reached an orbit approximately 500 kilometers above the Earth's surface at an inclination of 45 degrees. This marked the company's second time reaching that inclination, an orbit that no other system has ever reached from the West Coast.

At around 00:55 on July 2nd, all seven payloads were successfully deployed without a hitch, concluding Virgin Orbit's nighttime demonstration of its responsive space launch capabilities. The seven payloads deployed were provided by the Department of Defense Space Test Program. Altogether, the seven satellites will be facilitating experiments intended to showcase innovative spacecraft technologies, new approaches for satellite applications, and Earth atmospheric science, for several government agencies.

Celebrating the success of Straight Up and the company's fourth successful commercial flight, Virgin Orbit founder Richard Branson said:

“The LauncherOne rocket and Virgin Orbit team have made me immensely proud with today’s Straight Up mission. There is so much potential benefit for everyone from space if we just manage it well together. We are delighted for the opportunity to work with the US government to help make space a safe and fruitful environment for all.”

Supporting mission partners

The contract to launch the Straight Up mission, also dubbed STP-S28, was awarded to Virgin Orbit in April two years ago by the United States Space Force as a three-launch mission. STP-S28A was the first of those launches. Moreover, the Straight Up launch marked the first time the US Space Force Rocket Systems Launch Program became a customer for Virgin Orbit. The US Department of Defense Space Test Program is a three-time repeat customer for the company.

Highlighting the company's commitment to supporting critical mission partners, Virgin Orbit Chief Executive Officer Dan Hart said:

“We are honored to be supporting and delivering for the U.S. Space Force and the U.S. Department of Defense at such a critical juncture for national security space, our nation, and our world."

Thus far, Virgin Orbit has delivered satellites varying from a wide range of uses, from commercial to civil, national security, and even international satellites have been brought into orbit by the company. Following the success of Straight Up, the Virgin Orbit team is now preparing for its first-ever international launch later this year. In joint collaboration with the United Kingdom Space Agency, the Royal Air Force, and Space Port Conrwall, it will be the the company's first orbital launch from UK soil, and the first commercial launch from Western Europe.

Inspiration behind the name

While Straight Up might seem like a realistic name considering that the satellites are launched upwards towards orbit, the inspiration behind the launch's name goes deeper than that. Inspired by American singer Paula Abdul's breakthrough song from her debut studio album "Forever Your Girl", the album was released through Virgin Records on June 21st, 1988.

The album was the most successful debut album ever at the time of its release, and the iconic dance-pop tune has remained Abdul's biggest international hit to date as it became the singer's first top 40 hit in the US, before going on to be her first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. Straight Up had helped the album reach the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, before it finally reached number one following a record-setting 64 weeks on the market after spawning three more number one hits. Given this success, it is obvious why this launch was named after Abdul's song.

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Launching beyond the US

Virgin Orbit has been operating relatively well since its first began commercial service in 2021, and it seems the company is more than ready to expand internationally beyond the US. Besides the upcoming UK launch, Virgin Orbit is expecting to enable launches from Brazil to space from as early as next year as the company was granted an operator's license to allow LaunchOne launch operations at the Alcântara Launch Center. Undoubtedly, Virgin Orbit continues to bring space a little closer to Earth.