Launch Anomaly Investigated by Virgin Orbit
Preliminary analysis of data from the launch anomaly which occurred during the Start Me Up mission has begun to shed light on the outcome of the January 9th flight and next steps to follow.
"I am confident that root cause and corrective actions will be determined in an efficient and timely manner."
Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit.
Extensive telemetry coverage for the flight allowed for the collection of an enormous quantity of data during the mission, allowing Virgin Orbit’s engineers and review board members to start their analysis immediately upon detection of the launch anomaly.
Virgin Orbit has initiated a formal investigation into the source of the second stage failure, to be led by Jim Sponnick (Co-Investigator), a distinguished aerospace veteran who was instrumental in the development and operations of the Atlas II, III and V launch systems and operations of the Delta II and IV launch systems and Chad Foerster (Principal Investigator), Virgin Orbit’s Chief Engineer and Vice President of Technology Development. An extensive fault analysis and investigation and completion of all required corrective actions identified during the investigation will be completed prior to the next flight.
Launch Anomaly will Not Stop Virgin Orbit Operations
Virgin Orbit is continuing to process its next scheduled rocket through final integration and checkout ahead of its upcoming mission, which is planned to occur from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
Virgin Orbit also anticipates returning to Spaceport Cornwall for additional launches, and is in active discussions with key government and commercial stakeholders in the UK to start planning mission opportunities for as soon as later this year.
"We are all disappointed that we were not able to achieve full mission success and provide the launch service that our customers deserve. Upon identifying the launch anomaly, our team immediately moved into a pre-planned investigation mode," said Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit. "Given our four previous successful missions, which have proven our technology, our team’s deep understanding of the LauncherOne system from massive amounts of previously collected flight data, and the ample telemetry data that was collected characterizing the flight and the anomaly, I am confident that root cause and corrective actions will be determined in an efficient and timely manner. We are continuing to process and test our next vehicle per our plan and will implement any required modifications prior to our next launch.
“I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our team, who worked tirelessly under high pressure and difficult conditions, and most importantly to our customers, supporters, and partners in the UK, the US, and across the world," Hart said. "We thank you for the many expressions of confidence and support we have received over the past two days.”
(Source: Virgin Orbit news release. Images provided and from file)