Virgin Galactic will be repurposing old Boeing 747-400 wide-body jetliners—turning the two-decade old aircraft into a “mothership” that will enable its LauncherOne satellite transportation rocket to make it to outer space, chairman Sir Richard Branson has announced.
According to BBC News and the Washington Post, Branson will have Virgin Galactic take one of Virgin Atlantic’s old 747-400s and turn it into the launch platform for the satellite rocket now in development at his spaceflight company. The tweaked 747 will carry LauncherOne into a high altitude and release it, where the booster will then fire up its engines and enter orbit.
Branson, who has dubbed the 747 “Cosmic Girl,” told reporters during a presentation at a hangar in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday that Virgin plans to tether LauncherOne to the jet’s wing and have it carry the rocket to an altitude of about 35,000 feet. Once it enters orbit, LauncherOne will release probes, marking the first time that Virgin Galactic has entered the satellite business.
“I never even thought of satellites when we thought of Virgin Galactic originally,” Branson told the Post. “I just thought of human space travel and a personal desire to go to space and trying to make dreams come true and so on. And then… suddenly you realize there’s another whole aspect to this. Which is equally as exciting, really.”
‘Cosmic Girl’ should be ready in time for LauncherOne’s debut
This week’s announcement comes after Virgin Galactic said earlier this year that it would up the payload capacity of its rocket from 120 kilograms of satellite payloads to 200 kilograms—which was a decision reached after consulting with would-be customers, the BBC said.
Doing so, however, required them to find a way to increase the amount of propellant that could be carried by the tanks on its booster, as well as its length and mass. “Cosmic Girl” will be able to accommodate these needs, they added. While it needs to be modified and given a fresh coat of paint to match Virgin Galactic’s colors, it should be good to go when LauncherOne debuts either in late 2016 or early 2017.
Branson told the Post that he plans to deploy a network of tiny satellites that would help deliver Internet access and telecom services to underserved parts of the world, including Africa. He also has already signed a $4.7 million dollar deal to launch at least 12 experimental satellites on a test flight, and a contract with OneWeb to deliver 39 satellites with an option for another 100.
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Feature Image: Virgin Galactic
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