Boeing 747 launches a large rocket loaded with satellites for the first time

A Boeing 747 aircraft, very similar to the aircraft used to transport passengers, launched from the bottom of its giant fuselage, yesterday, Wednesday, a 70-foot (21.34 meters) missile loaded with satellites.

This operation is the second successful launch over the Pacific Ocean, of a “Virgin Orbit” rocket that was put into orbit around the Earth.
A large rocket from under the wing of the “Boeing 747”

According to the news published by “CNN” entitled (Virgin Orbit launches its first satellite into space), the plane, nicknamed “Cosmic Girl”, took off from California, USA, yesterday, Wednesday, before 7 am Pacific time, and after About an hour into takeoff, the pilot pressed the big red button and gave the rocket launch command.

The large rocket was launched from under the left wing of the “Boeing 747” in a process considered the first launch of a rocket into orbit loaded with satellites.

The missile reached a speed of more than 17,000 miles per hour (more than 27,000 kilometers per hour), after which it reached the second stage, which the company called “the barbecue roll.”

The missile enters the “roast roll” stage before completing the mission

The source noted that this stage was called “the grill roll” because the missile rotates in this stage within the orbit for a short period with the aim of exposing it to equal heat in all its parts.

Then, the rocket exits to the specified path in orbit to deploy the small satellite assembly located in the cone centered at the front of the rocket.

It is worth noting that the company’s first successful orbital flight was last January, but the mission that was carried out yesterday was the first of its kind, which was considered a fully operational mission loaded with satellites and not a test like its predecessor.

The satellites belong to a variety of Virgin Orbit clients, including the US Department of Defense, a Polish start-up called SatRevolution, as well as the Royal Dutch Air Force.