Virgin Galactics LauncherOne Aims to Make Satellite Deployment Cheaper

Virgin Galactic on Wednesday announced LauncherOne, a new rocket-propelled "launch vehicle" designed to deploy satellites at a fraction of the current cost.

LauncherOne is a rocket that is launched from Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two carrier aircraft. Virgin Galactic claims the new rocket -- which travels at 80,000 mph and can circle the earth in 90 minutes -- will cut the cost of deploying a satellite from the current $30 million to $40 million to $10 million. A maiden flight is expected in 2015 or 2016. The concept is currently being created in Mojave and Pasadena, Calif.

The idea of a new commercial satellite launcher isn't new -- Virgin has been mulling the concept since 20…
Continue reading...

More About: Virgin Galactic