LauncherOne - Virgin Galactic's satellite launching rocket

[Salo]

Платиновый не подойдёт?

[NK]

Salo пишет:
Платиновый не подойдёт?

пойдет

[Salo]

[Not]

KR пишет:

Alex_II пишет:

KR пишет:
до конца десятилетия что только не полетит, прямо, расцвет космонавтики - 2, какой то

При этом проектов, оплаченных государствами - не так уж и много...

да. частники наше все. Видимо действительно массовые технологии доросли.
осталось найти какой нибудь золотой астероид.

Хотелось бы только, чтобы "дорастание" частников обходилось без трупов.

[Kap]

Not пишет:
Хотелось бы только, чтобы "дорастание" частников обходилось без трупов.

Боинг и Локхид в лице United Space Aliance имеют право заживо сжигать пачками по 7 человек, а СпейсИксу и Вирджин ну ни как нельзя?

[Salo]

http://www.virgingalactic.com/virgin-galactic-wins-nasa-contract-to-launch-more-than-a-dozen-satellites-on-launcherone/

October 14, 2015                
Virgin Galactic Wins NASA Contract To Launch More Than A Dozen Satellites On LauncherOne

We're designing LauncherOne to help researchers and innovators get their satellites into space affordably, responsively, and reliably, because we know that small satellites can successfully complete a staggering array of different types of mission. That's why we're excited and proud to announce today that NASA has purchased a flight on LauncherOne through its Venture Class Launch Services program. This flight—slated to happen just before the start of our routine commercial operations of LauncherOne—will carry 200 kilograms of payload into space, launching more than a dozen NASA-selected satellites into orbit.
We are grateful to have NASA as a customer of both parts of our business now—previously, NASA's Flight Opportunities Program purchased a flight for a dozen experiments on board SpaceShipTwo. NASA's leadership in the industry of space exploration is unquestioned, and having learned so many lessons from NASA over the years, we are excited to offer NASA and its partners a more affordable way to access space.
You can read all about today's announcement here and check out our most recent 90 second hot fire test here.

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/654176895681064960

Peter B. de Selding ‏@pbdes  
Planet Labs to launch 2 tech-demo sats on Virgin Galactic LauncherOne vehicle in 2016 and 2017.#IAC2015
  23:08 - 13 окт. 2015 г.  

[Alex_II]

Not пишет:
Хотелось бы только, чтобы "дорастание" частников обходилось без трупов.

Государственная космонавтика без трупов не обошлась. А чего вдруг у частников такое право отбирать? А серьезно - никто не застрахован, на самом деле, хоть ежедневно экзамены по ТБ устраивай... И форма собственности не имеет к этому абсолютно никакого отношения.

[Not]

Alex_II пишет:

Not пишет:
Хотелось бы только, чтобы "дорастание" частников обходилось без трупов.

Государственная космонавтика без трупов не обошлась. А чего вдруг у частников такое право отбирать? А серьезно - никто не застрахован, на самом деле, хоть ежедневно экзамены по ТБ устраивай... И форма собственности не имеет к этому абсолютно никакого отношения.

Нужно все же различать, жертвы при достижении чего то нового и жертвы в рутинных операциях.

В случае с Виржин - убили пилота на трансзвуке из за непродуманной логики управления, по причине банальной безграмотности и экономии средств. Большие аэрокосмические фирмы продвигаются осторожно, шаг за шагом, основательно закрепляясь на каждом достигнутом рубеже. А так называемые частники начали дурацкую гонку с лимитированнным бюджетом и неограниченным оптимизмом. Фантазеры.

[Alex_II]

Not пишет:
В случае с Виржин - убили пилота на трансзвуке из за непродуманной логики управления, по причине банальной безграмотности и экономии средств. Большие аэрокосмические фирмы продвигаются осторожно, шаг за шагом, основательно закрепляясь на каждом достигнутом рубеже.

Э... Когда они "продвигались" то в последний раз, эти "большие фирмы"? Давно это было... И тогда у них без трупов не обходилось - хоть сами себе то не врите... А может вам "Аполлон-1" напомнить, тоже "большой фирмой" сделанный? Или там "Союз-1"?
Пока будут "продвигаться" - аварии время от времени будут случаться. Прекратятся вместе с прогрессом вероятно...

[Петр Зайцев]

Бедный Симберг на эту тему даже книгу написал, но до Not-а всё равно не доходит.
http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Not-Option-Rand-Simberg/dp/0989135519/

[Kap]

Alex_II пишет:
А чего вдруг у частников такое право отбирать?

Чтобы серьезных дядь с лоббистами в Конгрессе не обижали, очевидно же. Ну и чего вы хотите от страны где 17-летние лбы закладывают училку с которой трахались?

Not пишет:
Нужно все же различать, жертвы при достижении чего то нового и жертвы в рутинных операциях.

Все 14 фрагов Шаттла взяты именно при рутинных взлете и посадке.

Not пишет:
Большие аэрокосмические фирмы продвигаются осторожно, шаг за шагом, основательно закрепляясь на каждом достигнутом рубеже.

И куда продвинулись-то?

Not пишет:
А так называемые частники начали дурацкую гонку с лимитированнным бюджетом и неограниченным оптимизмом.

В США человек уже не имеет право распоряжаться собственной жизнью? Или частники испытателей насильно в кабаках вербуют?

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-acquires-boeing-747-for-launcherone-missions/

Virgin Galactic Acquires Boeing 747 for LauncherOne Missions
by Jeff Foust — December 4, 2015

Using a Boeing 747 as the launch platform for LauncherOne will allow Virgin Galactic to double the vehicle's payload performance, increasing the size of the market it can serve, according to company officials. Credit: Virgin Galactic  
 
MELBOURNE, Fla. — Virgin Galactic announced Dec. 3 that it has purchased a Boeing 747 jetliner to serve as the new carrier aircraft for its LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle.
The aircraft, unveiled during an event at the San Antonio, Texas, facility where the plane is being modified, will allow LauncherOne to carry heavier payloads than if it was launched from the company's WhiteKnightTwo airplane, as originally planned.
"We basically wanted to maximize the productive capacity of the Newton engines we were developing" for LauncherOne, said George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, in a Dec. 3 phone interview. The company studied how big they could make LauncherOne if not constrained by how much WhiteKnightTwo could carry, then looked at what aircraft could handle that vehicle.
The company concluded the 747 was the best choice for carrying the enlarged LauncherOne. Whitesides said the company then did "a very comprehensive survey of the entire commercial aircraft market," looking for used 747 aircraft with the best combination of cost, flight history and maintenance record.
That search ended up, ironically, with another Virgin company: the airline Virgin Atlantic. "Somewhat to our surprise, the answer was 'Cosmic Girl,'" Whitesides said, referring to the airplane's nickname. "It was a relatively young aircraft operated by Virgin Atlantic, and we had a lot of comfort in its maintenance." Whitesides said Virgin Galactic purchased the plane from Virgin Atlantic, but did not disclose the terms of the deal.
Cosmic Girl was built by Boeing in 2001 and delivered to Virgin Atlantic. The aircraft was in commercial service with the airline as recently as October, according to online flight records. The plane last flew Oct. 29, when it traveled from London to San Antonio.
Whitesides said the airplane will first undergo extensive inspection and maintenance known in aviation as a "D check" by VT San Antonio Aerospace, the aircraft maintenance company working with Virgin. That work will be completed early next year, after which work will start on modifying the airplane to serve as the LauncherOne platform.
LauncherOne will be attached to a pylon mounted on the left wing of the 747, between the fuselage and the left inboard engine. That location was included on the 747 to mount a fifth jet engine when ferrying engines, minimizing the structural modifications needed to the wing.

Virgin Galactic test pilot Kelly Latimer stands in front of a model of the 747 that will carry LauncherOne, with the actual aircraft in the background, during a Dec. 3 event in San Antonio. Credit: Virgin Galactic

Whitesides said some structural elements of the wing will be strengthened to accommodate the rocket. There will also be electrical and fluid lines added to service the rocket, and updates to the plane's avionics to support launches. That work, he said, should be done by late 2016.
Virgin Galactic plans to use some of its current pilots to fly the 747 when it enters service. Whitesides said David Mackay, the company's chief test pilot, and Kelly Latimer, a former NASA and U.S. Air Force test pilot hired in November, have experience with the 747.
Virgin Galactic will make those modifications to the 747 in parallel with work on LauncherOne itself. "We're making progress on each of the subsystems," he said, including the Newton 3 and Newton 4 engines the company is developing to power the rocket and composite propellant tanks.
While Whitesides said earlier this year that Virgin Galactic was expecting to begin LauncherOne test flights by late 2016, that schedule has slipped. "We anticipate being able to do orbital tests in 2017," he said.
The decision to increase the size of LauncherOne and fly it from a 747 is a departure from the company's original plans, which called for using the same WhiteKnightTwo airplane that Scaled Composites developed for Virgin Galactic for its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane. WhiteKnightTwo will now be used exclusively for SpaceShipTwo missions.
The more powerful LauncherOne will be able to carry payloads up to 200 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbits, and up to 400 kilograms to other orbits. That increase in performance allows LauncherOne to accommodate a wider range of satellites.
"We're having a lot of conversations" with potential customers, Whitesides said. Besides the June contract for 39 launches of communications satellites for OneWeb and an October contract with NASA as part of the agency's Venture Class Launch Services program, he said Virgin Galactic has signed a couple more contracts with undisclosed customers. "I think we'll have more and more business as we get closer to our test launches," he said.
Separately, Whitesides said Virgin Galactic is completing the assembly of the second SpaceShipTwo, replacing the one lost in an October 2014 accident. The last major structural element of the vehicle, the main oxidizer tank, was installed last month, he said. Virgin Galactic expects to formally roll out the second SpaceShipTwo in early 2016 and start a series of ground and flight tests shortly thereafter.

[triage]

Virgin Galactic - LauncherOne: The Small Satellite Revolution Is Here
Опубликовано: 3 дек. 2015 г.


Welcoming Cosmic Girl - Highlights

[Not]

Virgin America выставили на продажу.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-02/alaska-air-said-near-deal-to-acquire-branson-s-virgin-america

[Salo]

Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  17 ч.17 часов назад  
Whitesides: we're building our LauncherOne factory with high-rate production in mind. #32SS

  Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  17 ч.17 часов назад  
Whitesides: responsiveness key focus of LauncherOne, along with low cost. #32SS

  Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  17 ч.17 часов назад  
George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic: we have full funding for LauncheOne smallsat launcher, ~200 people working on it. #32SS

[Salo]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/sky-and-space-global-lands-branson-deal/news-story/9c1492d2c835c70b29e8725e87c63f6a

Sky and Space Global lands Branson deal

[/li]
• The Australian
• 3:31PM June 27, 2016
  

ASX-listed satellite firm Sky and Space Global has landed a deal with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to launch up to 200 nanosatellites in 2018.

The UK-based firm, led by former Israeli fighter pilot Meir Moalem, said it would launch the nanosatellites — which are about 80 per cent cheaper than traditional satellites — with Virgin Galactic's LauncherOne orbital launch vehicle in a bid to service equatorial countries with more cost-efficient voice calls, text messages and data services.
"LauncherOne is an aerial launcher, which means it is launched from a Boeing 747 that can take off from anywhere, and can launch to any orbit with a high flexibility in schedule and location," Mr Moalem said.
"After having initial discussions with Virgin Galactic, both sides came to realise the benefits of launching Sky and Space Global nanosatellites with LauncherOne.
"Our business plan is based on wholesale services, selling capacity to telco providers, much like the agreement we signed with SatSpace Africa (SSA). Our customers will come from the equatorial belt — that is, South and Central America, Africa, Asia — and also from airliners and shipping companies operating within our coverage area.
"The area that will be covered by Sky and Space Global's nanosatellite constellation is home to about 4 billion people."
Sky and Space Global is listed on the Australian sharemarket, but its aerospace operations are based in Europe and Israel.
According to Mr Moalem, Sky and Space Global's constellation will be lower cost and lower risk than other systems, and will be deployed by the end of the decade.
Barry A. Matsumori, Senior Vice President of Business Development & Advanced Concepts at Virgin Galactic, who has previously held roles at SpaceX and Qualcomm, told The Australian the small satellite market had been undeserved until now, with priority generally given to big satellites.
"We want to build a service that's regular, almost common, so that when small satellites want to go to space they don't have to wait," Mr Matsumori said.
"Say they're a cubesat, we'll go up so often that in fact a delay is a month, not 6 months or 18 months. Sky and Space Global were exactly what we built the service to be able to take care of; they're perfectly sized for what we are trying to do."
He said despite an explosion in late 2014 which claimed the life of a 39-year old pilot, Virgin Galactic was still very much pushing ahead with its suborbital space tourism program.
"That business is still very much alive," he said. "We rolled out the new Spaceship II design in February of this year with Sir Richard; what we haven't done is announce the launch date, we don't want to build up timetable pressures."
Shares in Sky and Space Global were 0.2 cents lower at 2.1 cents at 1215 AEST.
With AAP

[Salo]

Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust
A. C. Charania, Virgin Galactic: LauncherOne work fully funded, test launches planned for 2nd half of 2017. #smallsat
 8:16 - 8 авг. 2016 г.

  Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust
Charania: LaunchOne missions will fly out of Mojave for sun-synch missions; looking at other sites for lower inclination flights. #smallsat
 8:49 - 8 авг. 2016 г.

[Salo]

Brian Berger ‏@Berger_SN 6 ч.6 часов назад
Branson-backed @virgingalactic? Dalbello expects "graceful buildup" to 24/yr. #WSBR
 
  Brian Berger ‏@Berger_SN 6 ч.6 часов назад
Vector & Virgin Galactic counting on customers to pay more per kilogram for schedule certainty and a better ride. #WSBR
 
  Brian Berger ‏@Berger_SN 6 ч.6 часов назад
Dalbello: @virgingalactic hopes to eventually fly LauncherOne twice a month. #WSBR
 
  Brian Berger ‏@Berger_SN 6 ч.6 часов назад
"For all these vehicles, rate is essential...Without rate, you can't get the price people are looking for." @virgingalactic's Rich Dalbello

[Salo]

Virgin Galactic ‏@virgingalactic  13 ч.13 часов назад  
Our #LauncherOne structures team met their 2016 goal of building tanks, interstages, and aft skirts for 4 launch vehicles. Well done, team