Virgin Orbit flies its rocket into the skies for the first time - Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket 2.jpg ...

more at
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018...he-first-time/

For the first time, Virgin Orbit has strapped its 21-meter rocket to a modified
747 aircraft and taken to the skies. The company performed this "captive-carry"
test flight on Sunday in Victorville, located to the northeast of Los Angeles.

“The vehicles flew like a dream today,” Virgin Orbit Chief Pilot Kelly Latimer
said in a news release. “Everyone on the flight crew and all of our colleagues
on the ground were extremely happy with the data we saw from the instruments
on-board the aircraft, in the pylon, and on the rocket itself. From my
perspective in the cockpit, the vehicles handled incredibly well, and perfectly
matched what we’ve trained for in the simulators.”

Earlier this month, the company had conducted a series of tests that involved
mating the LauncherOne rocket to the aircraft, nicknamed Cosmic Girl, and then
performing taxiing tests. But Sunday's flight represents a new phase of airborne
tests that will include "several more" flights of the aircraft with and without
the rocket attached. These tests will ensure that Cosmic Girl and the rocket
behave as anticipated during flight.

The final step before an actual in-air rocket launch will involve at least one
drop test, in which the carbon-fiber rocket will be released from the 747
aircraft without firing its engine, in order to gather data about its free-fall
performance through the atmosphere.




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"Miloch" wrote in message news
more at
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018...he-first-time/

Some people have short memories.

Airdrop-to-orbit has been around for decades:

http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capab...s/default.aspx