Virgin Orbit's rocket, dubbed LauncherOne, attached to the wing of the Boeing 747 "Cosmic Girl", January 17, 2021. -

Matt Hartman / AP / SIPA

The second attempt was therefore the right one.

After a failed test in May, the Virgin Orbit company successfully launched a rocket into space for the first time on Sunday from the wing of a Boeing 747.

Today's sequence of events for # LaunchDemo2 went exactly to plan, from safe execution of our ground ops all the way through successful full duration burns on both engines.

To say we're thrilled would be a massive understatement, but 240 characters couldn't do it justice anyway.

pic.twitter.com/ZKpoi7hkGN

- Virgin Orbit (@Virgin_Orbit) January 18, 2021

"LauncherOne has reached orbit!"

Everyone on the team who is not at mission control at the moment has gone nuts, ”Richard Branson's company tweeted.

The plane took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the American desert north of Los Angeles in California and fired its rocket over the Pacific.

Simpler operation than vertical takeoff

The 21-meter Virgin Orbit rocket, dubbed LauncherOne, does not take off vertically, but is secured under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 called "Cosmic Girl".

Once the correct altitude is reached, the plane releases the rocket, which starts its own engine to push itself into space and place its cargo in orbit.

Launching a rocket from an airplane is simpler than vertical takeoff because theoretically a simple airstrip is enough, instead of an expensive space launch pad.

Founded by British billionaire Richard Branson in 2012, Virgin Orbit aims to provide a fast and adaptable space launch service for small satellites weighing between 300 and 500 kg, a growing market.

Richard Branson has also created another space company, Virgin Galactic, which aims to send tourists into space to experience weightlessness some 80 km from the Earth's surface.

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