Virgin Orbit Finally Gets a License, Ready to Launch into Space Next Year

JAKARTA - Virgin Orbit has finally secured all the necessary licenses from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), for the UK's first space launch mission.

The company, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, has a mission, which has been dubbed Start Me Up, as a tribute to the rock band The Rolling Stones. He will carry nine satellites from the LauncherOne rocket aboard the Boeing 747 "Cosmic Girl" which is both owned by Virgin Orbit.

The nine satellites come from commercial and government customers, including the UK Ministry of Defence, the US Naval Research Laboratory and the government of Oman.

Virgin Orbit's first launch is slated for January, though the company hasn't announced a specific launch date yet.

The rocket will take off from Spaceport Cornwall at England's Cornwall Newquay Airport. The CAA also previously issued licenses for the spaceport. The license is the first issued by CAA for commercial launch from the UK.

"Receiving Virgin Orbit's reach and launch license brings us one step closer to the first satellite launch liftoff from British soil," said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart in a statement.

"This is an important milestone for CAA and represents the successful completion of a major undertaking, which included the creation of new regulations, new processes and a new team," he added.

Quoted from Engadget, Thursday, December 22, the first flight was originally scheduled for mid-December, but was postponed due to technical problems and a lack of licenses.

In addition to the launch license, Virgin Orbit also received a range control license which allows it to issue alert notifications and monitor mission progress.