BeechTalk - BT - Virgin Orbit Success, designed in Long Beach, CA.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 14 Jul 2021, 22:01

Difficult to know.

I think a lot of people have been fooled by the idea that getting to 300km altitude is the same as getting to a 300km orbit - despite the enormous difference in energy required.

I don't know to what extent the high level decision makers understand the technology at Virgin. Musk's strength is that he does understand the technology so he can make good technical decisions and not be bamboozled.

Virgin may have a plan for a next gen, but even with an air launch, single stage to orbit, (or even intercontinental sub-orbit) is a very daunting problem due to the huge mass ratio required.

Username Protected wrote:

Doesn't intercontinental require much higher speeds, (near orbital) so that the reentry system and rockets they have are not appropriate?

stagnation temperature goes roughly as V squared, so going form mach 3 to mach 10 is not at all straightforward.

I'm wondering the same things for the same reasons. I might not have looked hard enough but the numbers on SS3 are a little hard to find.

I'm curious about what they're expecting out of it and/or what they've got on the drawing board too.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 15 Jul 2021, 01:55

Username Protected wrote:

Difficult to know.

I think a lot of people have been fooled by the idea that getting to 300km altitude is the same as getting to a 300km orbit - despite the enormous difference in energy required.

I don't know to what extent the high level decision makers understand the technology at Virgin. Musk's strength is that he does understand the technology so he can make good technical decisions and not be bamboozled.

I agree with what you say that many people are fooled (wishful thinking) about the basics gravity and the kinetic energy involved.

Most of the math and physics is high school and (undergrad) collegiate level. What I mean by that is it's accessible to pretty much anyone with internet access, and for understanding it all, "STEM" aptitude helps but studying and hard work help more. A pop sci level of understanding is even easier- there are plenty of educational videos out there, they require only patience and listening.

Off the cuff, I think the present vehicle should be capable of about 100km up and possibly hundreds downrange, but much farther means going a lot faster which turns it into a big question of how to slow down.

(To be clear, this isn't my specialty and I've never worked in the field.)

Username Protected · **Posted:** 16 Jul 2021, 10:11

Username Protected wrote:

Let us know when you've done better.

Everyday I do something better than Virgin has done, just in a different field of endeavor.

Achievement means you did something that was hard.

Progress means you did something that was hard that is truly useful.

Virgin Galactic is an achievement.

SpaceX is progress.

Mike C.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 16 Mar 2023, 19:05

Virgin Orbit pauses all ops and furloughs all employees:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03 ... perations/

Username Protected · **Posted:** 25 Mar 2023, 07:25

Virgin Orbit was expected to close ~$200 million in funding from one VC on Friday, and said that a small subset of employees would return from furlough to work on rocket upgrades. The way the press release is written, the VC will apparently own the company.

I cannot find any reports that the deal was completed.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2023, 21:49

Hopeful that they can reach an agreement.

It's a unique capability. Definitely a niche within a niche, but there are some applications for which the ability to air-launch is the only way to meet the mission objectives!