Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne failed to reach orbit during the first attempted orbital launch from the United Kingdom. An investigation into the anomaly began shortly after the mission under the leadership of Jim Sponnick, a distinguished aerospace veteran, and Virgin Orbit Chief Engineer Chad Foerster. The investigation team had immediate access to extensive telemetry data collected from the ground stations in the UK, Ireland, and Spain, as well as systems onboard its carrier aircraft. The investigation includes oversight from various agencies, including the US Federal Aviation Administration and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority.
The investigation team confirmed that the Virgin Orbit team successfully executed pre-flight preparations, carrier aircraft takeoff, captive carry flight, and rocket release. The data suggests that from the beginning of the second stage first burn, a fuel filter within the fuel feedline had been dislodged from its normal position, causing the fuel pump to operate at a degraded efficiency level. This resulted in the engine operating at a significantly higher than rated engine temperature, leading to the malfunctioning of components downstream and in the vicinity of the abnormally hot engine, causing the second stage thrust to terminate prematurely.
The investigation team is employing a detailed action plan to develop key analyses and tests to replicate flight conditions and determine the root cause or causes of the failure. The team is also modifying the next rocket with a more robust filter and looking broadly to address all credible contributors to mission failure.
Virgin Orbit is one of the most flexible and responsive space launch systems, designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and air-launched from a modified 747-400 carrier aircraft. The company aims to grow market share in the developing space economy by delivering commercial, civil, national security, and international satellites into orbit.
