Virgin Orbit launch failed due to premature shutdown of rocket stage ignition

Virgin Orbit’s recent launch from Western Europe failed due to an anomaly in the rocket’s upper stage. The first ignition of this stage was terminated prematurely.

According to Virgin Orbit this led to the end of the mission. The rocket failed to achieve the desired orbit and the rocket components and payload fell back to Earth. This problem occurred at an altitude of approximately 180 km. The carrier aircraft, a Boeing 747 aircraft that carried the relatively small missile before it was launched at an altitude of about 10.6km, returned safely.

The company says extensive telemetry data has been stored, allowing Virgin Orbit engineers and a research team to begin their analyzes since the anomaly was detected. No further details are yet provided about what contributed to the unwanted deviation.

Virgin Orbit says it is continuing the process for its next planned launch from the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. That is the location from which the previous five launches took place. The first mission in May 2020 failed, but the four most recent ones were a success, putting a total of 33 satellites into orbit. Virgin Orbit expects to fly another mission from the British Spaceport Cornwall later this year.

The current failed launch also resulted in the loss of payload. Nine satellites would go into space. These were satellites from the British Space Agency, the Air Force, the National and American Aviation Authorities and the American research institute NRO.