Virgin Orbit has successfully reached another key milestone in its bid to conquer commercial spaceflight.
'Cosmic Girl', a specially modified Boeing 747-400, completed the first ever high-speed taxi while equipped with LauncherOne.
It reached speeds of 110 knots (125mph / 200kph) - fast enough to simulate an aborted takeoff.
The rocket was strapped to the bottom of the converted Virgin Atlantic plane, which will eventually be flown to 30,000 ft (5.5 miles) before launching it into space.
The 57,000lb (25,800kg) rocket will then engage its thrusters to reach orbit above the planet at 20 times the speed of sound.
Once there, it will deliver its payload - small craft weighing no more than a Harley Davidson motorcycle - into orbit.
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Virgin Orbit has successfully reached another key milestone in its bid to conquer commercial spaceflight. 'Cosmic Girl', a specially modified Boeing 747-400 that carries, completed the first ever high-speed taxi while equipped with LauncherOne.
Satellites launched by the system will deliver everything from high speed internet to planet's remotest regions to advanced weather tracking systems designed tackle climate change.
Virgin Galactic - the firm that will also provide passengers transport into outer space - acquired Cosmic Girl in late 2015.
Virgin Orbit, which used to be part of the company, plans to begin launching paying customers aboard rocket flights from Cornwall Airport in Newquay in 2021.
The plan is for Cosmic Girl to carry a rocket under its left wing in order for it to be fired into space while the aircraft is in flight.
The rocket weighs the equivalent of 25 small family cars.
The company wrote on Twitter: 'Zoom, zoom, zoom, LauncherOne was on the move again – this time for our very first high-speed taxi test.
'Not only did we ramp all the way up to more than 110 knots, we also used the day as an opportunity to load real flight software onto Launcher One for the first time.'
The 747-400 has been modified so the LauncherOne could be mounted underneath its wing.
The rocket has been described by the company as 'an affordable dedicated ride to orbit for small satellites'.
The Boeing 747-400 took its first runway test today. When it gets up and running, the plan is for 'Cosmic Girl' to carry a rocket under its left wing in order for it to be fired into space while the aircraft is in flight
The rocket has been described by the company as 'an affordable dedicated ride to orbit for small satellites'. It is be nearly 70 feet long and to weighs about 55,000lbs (25,800 kg) when carrying a full load of fuel and its payload
It is aimed at commercial and government customers, costing under £6.6 million ($10 million).
According to the company's engineers, the 747-400 is an 'ideal' launchpad because of its rocket carrying capacity.
It also has long range and all-weather capability, and most importantly, can take off from most commercial airports.
Virgin unveiled its first rocket which can travel at 20 times the speed of sound LauncherOne which was strapped to the bottom of a converted Virgin Atlantic plane named 'Cosmic Girl'
Richard Branson said when the project was first announced: 'The Boeing 747 has a very special place in my heart: We began service on my first airline, Virgin Atlantic, with just one leased 747.
'I never imagined that today one of our 747s would get a second chance and help open access to space.
'I'm absolutely thrilled that Cosmic Girl can stay in the Virgin family - and truly live up to her name.'
A launch could cost customers £8 million ($10 million) to £9 million ($12 million).
The completed LauncherOne rocket being attached to Cosmic Girl, a customized 747 aircraft that is used as the rocket's 'flying launch pad.' Together, the two vehicles comprise the system that Richard Branson's firm will use to launch small satellites into Earth orbit
LauncherOne is described by the company as 'an affordable dedicated ride to orbit for small satellites'. The rocket was mounted to the carrier aircraft under the left wing, near to where the fifth engine on the jet is typically carried
The completed LauncherOne rocket is loaded onto a custom-built trailer in this image taken at Virgin Orbit's Long Beach, California rocket factory, pictured in July last year
HOW DOES RICHARD BRANSON'S VIRGIN GALACTIC CONDUCT ITS SPACE FLIGHTS?
Unlike other commercial spaceflight companies, such as Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic initiates its flights without using a traditional rocket launch.
Instead, the firm launches its passenger-laden SpaceShipTwo and other craft from a carrier plane, dubbed WhiteKnightTwo.
WhiteKnightTwo is a custom-built, four-engine, dual-fuselage jet aircraft, designed to carry SpaceShipTwo up to an altitude of around 50,000 feet (15,240 metres).
The first WhiteKnightTwo, VMS Eve - which Virgin Galactic has used on all of its test flights - was rolled-out in 2008 and has a high-altitude, heavy payload capacity.
Unlike other commercial spaceflight companies, such as Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic initiates its flights without using a traditional rocket launch. Instead, the firm launches its passenger-laden SpaceShipTwo and other craft from a carrier plane, dubbed WhiteKnightTwo. Once SpaceShipTwo has propelled itself into space its engines shut off for a period of weightlessness before returning home
Once it reaches 50,000 feet (15,240 metres) the carrier plane releases SpaceShipTwo, a reusable, winged spacecraft designed to carry six passengers and two pilots into space.
Virgin Galactic has named its first SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity - the craft that the company has used in all of its test flights - though the firm is expected to build more in future.
Once released from WhiteKnightTwo, SpaceShipTwo's rocket motor engages 'within seconds', according to Virgin Galactic.
The craft will then fly approximately three and a half times the speed of sound (2,600mph/4,300kph) into suborbital space, reaching up to 360,890ft (110,000 metres) above the Earth's surface.
WhiteKnightTwo (artist's impression) is a custom-built, four-engine, dual-fuselage jet aircraft, designed to carry SpaceShipTwo up to an altitude of around 50,000 feet (15,240 metres)
This altitude is defined as beyond the edge of outer space by Nasa.
After the rocket motor has fired for around a minute, the pilots will shut it down, and passengers can then take off their seatbelts to experience weightlessness for several minutes.
The pilots will manoeuvre the spaceship to give the best possible views of Earth and space while raising the vehicle's wings to its 'feathered' re-entry configuration, which decelerates the craft and stabilises its descent.
As gravity pulls the spaceship back towards the Earth's upper atmosphere, astronauts will return to their seats ready to return to our planet.
At around 50,000 feet (15,240 metres), after re-entry, the pilot will return the spaceship's wings to their normal configuration, ready to glide back to Earth for a smooth runway landing.
Once it reaches 50,000 feet (15,240 metres) the carrier plane releases SpaceShipTwo, a reusable, winged spacecraft designed to carry six passengers and two pilots into space. Virgin Galactic has named its first SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity (pictured) - the craft that the company has used in all of its test flights - though the firm is expected to produce more in future
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News Pictures Virgin test its 'LauncherOne'
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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