The LauncherOne rocket, Virgin Orbit’s bid into the aerospace field, reached orbit for the first time today and distributed its payload of nine CubeSats, tiny satellites that will orbit the Earth, the Associated Press reports.
This was Virgin Orbit’s second attempt with the LauncherOne, a 70-foot two-stage rocket that doesn’t launch like a conventional space vehicle, but instead is released by a 747 in-flight and then aims for the atmosphere.
Virgin’s was the first of two launches by private companies on Sunday: Rocket Lab was expected to launch its Electron rocket from its New Zealand launch site. A conventional launch rocket, this will be the Rocket Lab system’s 18th launch.
Both Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab are based in Long Beach, California. They’re part of a growing sector of private aerospace companies aiming to capture the small-satellite launch market that would take over for NASA operations.
The success of LauncherOne follows an unsuccessful test last May, when the rocket initially ignited, but then quickly lost thrust, crashing into the Pacific Ocean.