Virgin Galactic halts plans to launch satellites By Rob Coppinger Spaceflight writer

2 October 2010

Virgin Galactic's satellite launching rocket LauncherOne that once attracted $110m in investment is now in doubt.

LauncherOne's manager has left, and the chief executive of space tourism company Space Tourism Company is speaking only about future possibilities.

The rocket would launch satellites up to 200kg (444lbs) into low Earth orbit for $1-2 million.

LauncherOne was to launch from Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo aircraft.

This is the same plane that will also launch Sir Richard Branson's tourist carrying SpaceShipTwo spacecraft.

Virgin Galactic received $110m from Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investment, in July 2009. This was subject to further business studies.

Later that year Sir Richard's Galactic team appointed Adam Baker to be its general manger for small satellite launch and conduct those studies.

Dr Baker had previously worked for Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, the British small spacecraft manufacturer.

The Guildford-based company was looking for cheaper and faster access to space for clients. It had spoken with Virgin Galactic about working together on the LauncherOne project in 2008/2009.

After failing to secure feasibility funding from then-British National Space Centre (now UK Space Agency), SSTL decided to withdraw.

Soon after Dr Baker's employment started at Galactic, the company's President Will Whitehorn told an October 2009 conference that LauncherOne could start operating a year after the sub-orbital tourism business was up and running.

Dr Baker, however, left Virgin Galactic last Month and there is no explanation from the company for why the project isn’t on Mr Whitehorn’s schedule.

"It's potentially an exciting area. Galactic as a whole may at some point in the future continue to work beyond looking at future projects," Virgin Galactic's CEO George Whitesides told the BBC. "It's an area we continue to think about."

He rejected the suggestion that the US government's technology export laws had in anyway contributed to the project's lack of progress.

In the meantime, the company continues testing its carrier aircraft ("Eve") along with its spacecraft.

Sir Richard mentioned last week to a Kuala Lumpur conference that Galactic was on track in order to offer its short hops over the atmosphere for paying customers within 18 months.

SpaceShipTwo ("Enterprise") tickets start at $200,000. The company already has deposits from over 300 potential passengers.

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