As part of plans to offer quick launch services to NATO and European allies, Luxembourg may become the second European operating base for Virgin Orbit's horizontal satellite launch.
The LauncherOne rocket, used by Virgin Orbit to launch satellites into orbit, is 21 meters (70 feet) tall and is dropped at a high altitude from a carrier aircraft. According to firm executives, this air-launch technology is adaptable and quick, enabling clients to launch their payloads from several locations across the globe quickly.
Virgin Orbit has had four successful launches, all of which departed from California's Mojave Air and Space Port, Space.com said. However, the business will soon broaden its geographic reach: Virgin Orbit is preparing for a launch from Spaceport Cornwall in England next month. The orbital mission will be the first one to launch from the UK.
Luxembourg Partners With Virgin Orbit For Space Defense
The recently announced partnership will evaluate potential benefits and determine how to take advantage of them effectively.
"In this initiative, Virgin Orbit will develop a plan for the development, delivery, mobilization and sustainment of LauncherOne ground support equipment and other responsive launch infrastructure that would be allocated for Allied use," company representatives said in a statement.
The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has made NATO's defense mission, capabilities, and requirements more apparent. For instance, to better defend themselves against a potential Russian attack, Sweden and Finland recently submitted membership applications to NATO.
MOJAVE, CA - DECEMBER 7: Virgin Galactic unveils its new SpaceShipTwo spacecraft at the Mojave Spaceport on December 7, 2009, near Mojave, California. The eight-person VSS Enterprise, named after the Star Trek ship of the same name, is the first of a series of space-planes for customers of Virgin Galactic who have paid around $200,000 for a suborbital flight into space. British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is financing the spacecraft, and aerospace designer Burt Rutan is building it through The Spaceship Company, a joint venture of Scaled Composites and Virgin Group. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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The invasion of Ukraine has also altered the launch environment in Europe. For instance, citing penalties imposed by the European Union, Russia stopped launching Soyuz rockets from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana mere days after the invasion started in February.
By working together, Virgin Orbit and the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence will identify partners interested in utilizing this capability, engage them, and determine the necessary operating constructs and requirements for delivering responsive launch infrastructure to Luxembourg that would enable Allied nations to conduct horizontal launches from a network of active and on-call spaceports in Europe.
Luxembourg's Space Strategy, Global Spaceport Network
By enhancing SATCOM, Earth Observation, and Space Situational Awareness capabilities, the partnership with Virgin Orbit will assist Luxembourg's Defense Space Strategy and increase its ability to cooperate internationally and exercise its right to free action in the space domain.
"Our future cooperation with Virgin Orbit is an excellent example of this ambition and we are looking forward to further investigate how we can contribute to the development of the responsive space capability with Allies and partners," said Luxembourg defense minister François Bausch (per The Defense Post).
International defense and intelligence clients will have access to launch integrated mission service options through the LauncherOne system, which is anticipated to develop into a global spaceport network.
This project in Luxembourg marks yet another crucial turning point in our quest to provide a revolutionary global launch infrastructure that will enable resilient space access.
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