Thread by @VirginOrbit

Are you ready to make history together? ✈️🚀💫 Join us as we launch our #StartMeUp mission today, the FIRST launch from the UK! Follow this thread for all launch day updates 🧵

Lucky launch socks = CHECK. ✅ Popcorn = CHECK. ✅ Tune into the livestream with us here, starting at 1:15pm PT/9:15pm GMT: virg.in/J8hC

What’s on board? Our #LauncherOne is carrying nine payloads to orbit in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the United States’ National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The @DefenceHQ (MOD)’s primary objective for this mission is to better understand how the UK and international partners can work together to create a more capable and flexible system at a lower cost than could be achieved alone.

Like its title, the mission is “starting up” the UK’s orbital launch capabilities and the growing UK-US space cooperation. #StartMeUp will mark the first orbital launch from British soil—and Western Europe!—in history, and our first international launch!

For this mission, we’ve been working closely with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), @RoyalAirForce (RAF), and the @SpaceCornwall team to make all necessary preparations for liftoff. 🇬🇧 #CountdownToCornwall

We're so excited to bring you real-time views from @SpaceCornwall via our mission livestream! Follow along for live tweets as we break through major launch milestones. Learn more about our mission to space and watch the livestream: virg.in/J8hC

The #StartMeUp mission is launching payloads from 7 global customers, from both private companies and governmental agencies. In this mission, we’re carrying a total of 9️⃣ small satellites to space. 🚀 #CountdownToCornwall

The missions of these satellites span a wide range of activities aimed at improving life on Earth, including reducing the environmental impact of production; preventing illegal trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism; and a host of national security functions. Learn more 👇

1️⃣ Aboard our #StartMeUp mission, the two Prometheus-2 CubeSats owned by @DefenceHQ (MOD) will provide a test platform for monitoring radio signals, expected to pave the way for a more collaborative and connected space communication system with our allies.

2️⃣ Two CIRCE CubeSats will fly in tandem formation to measure the ionosphere and radiation environment from multiple vantage points to support the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the @USNRL’s joint development of civil and defense application.

3️⃣ The AMAN satellite is Oman’s first orbital mission developed among the Sultanate of Oman, @satrev, @tuatara, and @ETCO. It is a single earth observation satellite meant to demonstrate the future of feasibility of a larger constellation.

4️⃣ The DOVER #SmallSat by @rheagroup was created as a pathfinder for resilient global navigation satellite systems. It is the RHEA’s first satellite in its 30-year history, co-funded through the @esa’s Navigation Program and built by @Open_Cosmos of UK.

5️⃣ The ForgeStar-0 satellite, developed by @Space_Forge of Wales, is a fully returnable and reusable platform to enable in-space manufacturing. This launch will be the first for the company’s ForgeStar platform and will test future returns from space technology.

6️⃣ The IOD-3 AMBER (aka IOD-3) sat was developed by UK-based @SatAppsCatapult + @Horizon_TechLLC and built by @AACClydeSpace. IOD-3 is expected to be the first 20+ Amber satellites to provide space-based Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) data to users.

7️⃣ Finally, STORK-6 is Oman’s first mission to deep space, developed by @SatRevolution, @tuatara_pl, and @etco_om. The satellite will collect research and imagery to conduct valuable data regarding hidden patterns that underlie climate change & aftereffects of natural disasters.

We’re honored to carry all of these payloads to space for our customers and excited to further our vision of #SpaceForGood! 🚀 #StartMeUp #CountdownToCornwall

Takeoff is projected to occur at 2:01pm PT / 22:01 UTC. Tune in here: virg.in/J8hC

Meet our #FlightCrew for today's mission! ✈️

Our Pilot In Command (PIC) is rock(et)star @RoyalAirForce pilot, Mathew Stannard – but we call him “Stanny.” 🤝 He has over 200+ flight test hours and 3,000+ flight hours, not to mention 1,000 hours with RAF aircrafts Tornado GR4 + the Typhoon before joining our crew.

Eric Bippert is our Flight Lieutenant, with 1,000+ hours of experience in test flights alone and 4,800+ total flight hours. Eric piloted #CosmicGirl for Tubular Bells, Above The Clouds, and Straight Up missions.

Rounding out our Cosmic Girl crew are Launch Engineers (LE) Dayle Alexander and Bryce Schaefer. They’ll be managing our airborne mission control room to ensure mission success. Dive down to meet the #LaunchCrew 👇

LE1 👩‍💻 Dayle joined us in 2018 as Propulsion Development Engineer. She was responsible for engineering multiple engine components, including the design & analysis of #NewtonFour, our 2nd stage engine. Dayle was aboard our #StraightUp mission! 👏

LE2 👨‍💻 Bryce has been with us for almost 7 years, accumulating 50+ #CosmicGirl flight hours and 50+ flight test hours. He was aboard both our #LaunchDemos, #TubularBellsPt1, and #StraightUp missions. 👏

This crew will ensure the health of both rocket and aircraft as we fly out to the drop point. 💫 But wait, there’s more!

Our awesome teams of technicians and operators on the ground are just as crucial to our #StartMeUp mission. For months, they’ve been hard at work keeping our systems healthy and ensuring a successful mission. 💪

Stay tuned for all #StartMeUp updates here on Twitter @VirginOrbit. Who’s ready to LAUNCH? 🚀 #CountdownToCornwall

We’re startin’ it up in the UK! 🚀🇬🇧 Dive down below to learn about this mission’s name 👇

Our #StartMeUp mission is named as a tribute to one of the most iconic British rock and roll bands of all time, the @RollingStones. The hit song debuted on the 1981 album “Tattoo You” and was later released on the “Forty Licks” compilation by Virgin Records in 2002.

Pop some moves and jam out as we wait for more updates from the flight crew here: li.sten.to/startmeup 🕺🎸

Start it up, let me tell you we will never stop, never stop 🎶🚀 - @RollingStones

Did we mention that #StartMeUp is our first international mission? AKA, Cosmic Girl and LauncherOne’s first visit to another country! 🇬🇧 As we continue partnering with allied nations to launch abroad, we expect this to be the first of many.

Quick update: #LauncherOne's tanks are now fully loaded with fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX). #StartMeUp

#DidYouKnow LOX loading and all other hands-on activities on the ground are managed by our small but mighty launch ops teammates (nicknamed the "Wolf Pack"). 🐾

As a team, they're a well-oiled machine: highly trained and extremely precise. 🐺 On launch day, they’re steely-eyed and laser-focused. The rest of the time, though, they look more like this!

⏱ Takeoff is expected in 5 minutes. As always, we’re keeping an eye on the weather and the full system, which will help us pick the ideal takeoff time. #StartMeUp

Thanks to the @78SqnSwanwick, @IAApress and @NATS teams, who are managing air traffic control for #CosmicGirl! 📡

Catch a play-by-play of our #StartMeUp launch in the livestream here: virg.in/J8hC 🚀

Our flight crew have boarded the aircraft as our Wolf Pack remains on the tarmac, overseeing operation and making sure today’s launch is safe and successful.

There’s over 75,000 people watching our stream! We see you 👀thanks for tuning in with us today!

Flight Director: Cosmic Girl, you are go for takeoff
PIC: Takeoff
And we have takeoff! 🛫

Godspeed, #CosmicGirl and #LauncherOne! 👋

For those of you new here, Cosmic Girl is the name of our modified Boeing 747 aircraft. A former @VirginAtlantic plane, we took her in and made upgrades to introduce the next step in her evolution – launches to space. (We’re fans of sustainability here!) ♻️

We gutted the entire main deck interior of Cosmic Girl, removing all seats and overhead bins to get rid of unnecessary weight. The lighter, the better!

We also transformed the upper deck (aka the former Premium & Economy cabin) into a small mission control room so our Launch Engineers can oversee missions during flight. 🧑‍💻🚀

Once we arrive at #LauncherOne’s drop site, the pilots will fly Cosmic Girl in a looping "racetrack" pattern as we look to clear final go/no-go calls. #StartMeUp

The target orbit for this mission is approximately 555km/SSO.

This is what makes #VirginOrbit so special. We can launch from anywhere, at any time. Day or night, over land or over the ocean, we've got you covered. 🌊

Just in: #CosmicGirl has entered the racetrack.

We’re monitoring our systems and we’re preparing for release soon. ✅

We’re now beginning the “cold pass.”

We’ve started the “hot pass.”

LauncherOne has been released from Cosmic Girl! 👏

Confirming a clean separation from Cosmic Girl and successful ignition of LauncherOne's first stage rocket engine, NewtonThree. #StartMeUp

Hearing now that we've cleared Max Q, the point at which a rocket experiences the maximum amount of aerodynamic force.

A beautiful full-duration burn from the NewtonThree rocket engine! 🔥 Confirming main engine cutoff (MECO).

Confirming successful stage separation and ignition of LauncherOne's second stage engine, NewtonFour. Shoutout to our rockstar NewtonFour team for helping us blast into orbit!