Virgin Orbit launched a rocket from a plane — here’s how

Earlier this month, ten cubesats – small, cheap satellites weighing about a kilogram each – were sent into orbit around Earth. With almost 1,500 of these small satellites launched so far, adding another ten might seem trivial. But this was no ordinary launch. Instead of lifting off from the ground, the rocket carrying these Nasa satellites was slung under the wing of a modified Boeing 747, called Cosmic Girl. The plane carried them to a height of 11 km (6.8 miles) before launching the rocket. This was the first successful launch of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket, marking the start of its…

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