Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit reaches space for first time

The billionaire entrepreneur praised the successful launch as “magnificent”

Virgin Orbit, a modified Boeing 747 jetliner carrying a rocket under its wing, during a test launch in Mojave, California (REUTERS)

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has entered the space race after successfully launching  satellites into orbit for the first time on Sunday.

A rocket was released from beneath the wing of a modified Boeing 747 over the Pacific Ocean, around 60 minutes after take-off from the base in California’s Mojave desert.

Virgin Orbit’s rocket, called LauncherOne, deployed 9 satellites, called CubeSats, that were developed as part of a NASA educational program involving US universities.

The successful foray into space is a significant boon for the British entrepreneur as just eight months ago the company failed in its first demonstration of the rocket launch system.

The company later said an investigation determined there was a breach in a high-pressure line carrying cryogenic liquid oxygen to the first-stage combustion chamber.

"According to telemetry, LauncherOne has reached orbit!" Virgin Orbit tweeted. "Everyone on the team who is not in mission control right now is going absolutely bonkers."

Sir Richard posted a video of the successful flight on his Twitter account and later posted a full statement.

The billionaire said: "Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible. It was so inspiring to see our specially adapted Virgin Atlantic 747, Cosmic Girl, send the LauncherOne rocket soaring into orbit."

"This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit. I can't wait to see the incredible missions Dan and the team will launch to change the world for good."

Virgin Orbit, based in California, is part of a wave of companies targeting the launch market for increasingly capable small satellites.

Nearby competitor Rocket Lab has deployed 96 payloads in 17 launches of its Electron rocket from a site in New Zealand with another of its rockets nearing launch Sunday.

Virgin Orbit touts the flexibility of its capability to begin its missions by using airports around the globe.

Virgin Orbit is separate from Virgin Galactic, the company founded by Branson to carry passengers on suborbital hops in which they will experience the sensations and sights of spaceflight.