VIRGIN ORBIT
TUBULAR BELLS: PART ONE
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MEDIA ADVISORY — TUBULAR BELLS: PART ONE
The Virgin Orbit team is excited to share an update on timing for our upcoming mission, Tubular Bells: Part One. See details below. For your convenience, we’ve also put together a press guide with additional background information on Virgin Orbit, our launch system, our launch site, and more.
WHEN
With wet dress rehearsal successfully completed, our team is proceeding through the final routine items on our pre-flight checklist.
We’re coordinating with our stakeholders to identify the final preferred targets for launch, with an eye on June 30th or the early days of July.
We will only proceed with the mission if all conditions for launch are nominal. If for some reason the launch is delayed, we have backup windows extending through July.
WHERE
Our carrier aircraft Cosmic Girl will take off from Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, and will travel approximately 1 hour out to sea before releasing the rocket just off the Pacific coast.
MISSION MANIFEST
A total of 7 satellites will fly on LauncherOne for Tubular Bells: Part One. The full list of customers onboard this mission includes:
- The U.S. Department of Defense, which is launching three CubeSat sets as part of the DoD Space Test Program’s (STP) Rapid Agile Launch (RALI) Initiative. This launch, also known as STP-VP27A, was awarded to Virgin Orbit subsidiary VOX Space by the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), an organization working to accelerate the adoption of commercial technology into the U.S. military to strengthen national security.
- The Royal Netherlands Air Force, which is launching the Netherlands’ first military satellite, a CubeSat called BRIK II, built and integrated by Innovative Solutions in Space.
- SatRevolution, which is launching the first two optical satellites, STORK-4 and STORK-5 (A.K.A. MARTA), of the company’s 14-satellite STORK constellation.
PRE-FLIGHT PRESS BRIEFING
We will host a pre-flight press briefing in the days leading up to takeoff. During this briefing, held via telephone conference, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart will deliver some updates on the company, and you will also have the opportunity to ask questions. If you’re interested in participating, please RSVP by replying to this email ASAP. We’ll send over details on how to join soon.
INTERVIEWS
We anticipate reserving time shortly after the launch and in the days following to conduct interviews with our spokespeople, including CEO Dan Hart, Chief Pilot Eric Bippert, and others. Just let us know if you’d like to arrange an interview and we will do our best to accommodate. If possible, please submit a few sample questions along with your request so we can be sure to find the right person for you to speak with. Interviews will be considered based on availability.
ADDITIONAL INFO
Please note that due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19, we are not able to accommodate any members of the press on-site during this event. For live updates as the flight progresses, tune into the livestream available on our YouTube or follow along on Twitter (@VirginOrbit). We will share photos and B-roll shortly after the launch concludes.
CONTACTS
Feel free to reach out to our press inbox (press@virginorbit.com) with any questions in the run-up to Tubular Bells: Part One.
For questions about the broader Virgin Group, please reach out to Michelle Mendiola (michelle.mendiola@virgin.com).
All the best,
The Virgin Orbit Team
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