Virgin Orbit Launcher One Investigation Narrows Down Cause of Failure

Virgin Orbit is closing in on why its LauncherOne rocket failed in January.

Company CEO Dan Hart recently hinted that the investigation into what caused Virgin Orbit's first UK launch to fail might be in sight, pinpointing a certain component as a possible suspect.

Virgin Orbit's first UK launch under its Start Me Up mission ended in failure when its rocket suffered a technical anomaly preventing it from reaching orbit.

Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Rocket Investigation Details

Hart mentioned on a panel at the SmallSat Symposium in California that the investigation is starting to close in on what happened on its Start Me Up mission on Jan. 9. However, he stated that it was still premature to formally declare the cause of the anomaly that affected the company's LauncherOne rocket, per Space News.

Regardless, he did reveal that evidence shows that a component in the rocket's second stage engine could have been the culprit. This component, which turned out to be a filter, was not present during the rocket's launch but was in it during its assembly, meaning it was disloged and "caused mischief" downstream.

Hart didn't reveal any additional details about the filter other than it was an inexpensive item, causing him to joke that a $100 part took down its entire operation that day.

Regardless of the filter's role in Virgin Orbit's failed Start Me Up mission, the company decided it will no loner use that filter and is already in the process of "looking broadly" at other potential fixes.

Hart didn't mention when its investigation into the LauncherOne rocket anomaly with the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the US Federal Aviation Administration would end.

Virgin Orbit is currently preparing its next LauncherOne rocket for a mission that will launch from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California in partnership with Poland-based satellite manufacturer SatRev to launch more of the latter company's satellites in 2023 and beyond.

A Summary Of Virgin Orbit's Start Me Up Mission

For those who are unaware, Virgin Orbit previously had its first launch in the UK on Jan. 9, which the company initially delayed due to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority refusing to give the company an operating license for the mission.

The mission was supposed to happen on Dec. 14, but was moved to Jan. 2023 due to the delay. Eventually, Virgin orbit got the go-ahead and proceeded with the launch at the srtart of 2023.

The company's mission initially went smoothly, with its Cosmic Girl carrier plane lifting off from Spaceport Cornwall on schedule and without issue. However, after its upper stage finished a five-minute burn before going into a long coast, Chris Relf, Virgin Orbit's director of systems engineering and verification, suddenly said during the mission's webcast that the rocket suffered a technical anomaly preventing it from reaching orbit.

The failed launch costed Virgin Orbit one of its LauncherOne rockets and its payload of nine satellites. Fortunately, the rocket and the nine satellites posed no danger to people; they are expected to burn or break up over the North Atlantic soon, per The Guardian.