[At 8:30 a.m. ET, the webcast will begin.] If you don’t see the video player above, please refresh the page.] On Wednesday, Virgin Orbit, a satellite-launching subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, launches its second mission of the year from the California coast. The “Tubular Bells: Part One” mission will launch four cube satellites for the United States Department of Defense’s Space Test Program, as well as a tiny satellite for the Royal Netherlands Air Force and two imaging satellites for Polish business SatRevolution. The rocket is expected to launch about 10:45 a.m. EDT, according to the business. Virgin Orbit launches its rockets from a modified Boeing 747 aircraft, a technique known as air launch. Rather than launch rockets from the ground, as competitors like Rocket Lab and Astra do, the company’s LauncherOne rockets are carried to around 45,000 feet height and dropped. After that, the rocket launches its engine and accelerates into orbit, a strategy that the company claims is more flexible than a ground-based system. The rocket will be launched above the Pacific Ocean beyond California’s Channel Islands on Wednesday. LauncherOne is intended to launch small spacecraft weighing up to 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) into orbit. Virgin Orbit successfully launched its first satellite in January and aims to launch its second later this month. Virgin Orbit is a wholly owned subsidiary of Branson’s international corporation Virgin Group, with a minority investment held by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. On November 18, 2018, Virgin Orbit flew its modified Boeing 747 “Cosmic Girl” with the company’s LauncherOne rocket under its wing for the first time. Virgin Orbit is a spacecraft that travels across space/n
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