Page 11 - Aerotech News and Review, Feb. 21, 2019

Mojave has record-breaking year, surges into 2020

by Cathy Hansen
special to Aerotech News

Mojave Air & Space Port
Mojave Air & Space Port CEO and General Manager, Karina
Drees wrote an informative message in the organization’s January
2020 newsletter: “2019 was an eventful year for Mojave Air &
Space Port! We witnessed the first flight of the largest aircraft in the
world by Stratolaunch Systems and Scaled Composites, as well as
a flight to space by Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company!
We couldn’t be more proud of our customers’ accomplishments.”
“Our facility is better equipped to support the variety of opera-
tions hosted at Mojave, and our team is more prepared than ever
to take on new challenges,” Drees wrote.
“Airport investments in 2019 included a new radio system and
radar equipment for our air traffic control tower, additional ARFF
trucks in our fire department, and a taxiway extension to support
future growth. We had an outstanding financial year and sold more
than 1,000,000 gallons of fuel for the first time in 15 years,” she
said.
Drees report also said, “Mojave Air and Space Port continues
to be called on to support future aviation and aerospace activities
in our Nation. In 2019, we co-led an Aviation Rulemaking Com-
mittee to support the FAA’s spaceport categorization initiative. We
also hosted our first Runway Safety Team meeting in September.”
“We expect to play host to the first commercial launch of Virgin
Orbit early in the year and hope to see The Spaceship Company’s
latest spaceship roll out, soon after,” she wrote.
“In addition, we continue to improve our facility to accommo-
date the growth in operations. We have begun engineering work
on our taxiway C rehab project and expect construction to begin Stratolaunch photograph
before the end of 2020. This new taxiway will be a significant On April 13, 2019, Stratolaunch Systems Corporation successfully completed the first flight of the world’s largest all-composite
improvement to our infrastructure,” she said. aircraft, the Stratolaunch.
Drees concluded, “Our team continues to assist our customers
with their growth, and we remain hopeful to see some new hangars goals successfully, the Scaled team transitioned the vehicle and assembly process, as well as experience curve benefits.
built in the coming years. As always, our team is here to serve your associated knowledge to the Stratolaunch team. Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc., a vertically integrated aerospace
tenants needs as users of our great facility!” Cerberus Capital Management acquired Stratolaunch Systems, company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Enrico Paler-
including the Stratolaunch aircraft, in October 2019. Neither Vul- mo as chief operating officer, effective immediately. In this newly
Scaled Composites and Stratolaunch can nor Cerberus has said what the final agreed-upon price was. created role, Enrico will be responsible for helping maintain effi-
Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, founded by Paul G. Allen, Stratolaunch President and CEO Jean Floyd had announced a ciency and peak performance across the enterprise as it develops as
successfully completed the first flight of the world’s largest all- new mission statement earlier in December 2019 and tweeted out a public company, and will lead the execution of specific company
composite aircraft on April 13, 2019. Stratolaunch calls the airplane on Dec. 10, 2019, “Stratolaunch grew from 13 to 87 employees strategies and initiatives.
Roc, after the giant eagle of Arabian mythology. With a dual fuse- over the past 2 months, 2020 will be a great year!” Palermo currently serves as president of The Spaceship Com-
lage design and wingspan greater than the length of an American Floyd also indicated a shift away from Stratolaunch’s original pany, the wholly-owned aerospace manufacturing and development
football field, the Stratolaunch aircraft took flight from Mojave focus of providing space launch services. Instead, ROC will be subsidiary of VG. In this role, he leads more than 500 employees
Air and Space Port’s Runway 30 a couple of minutes before 7 a.m. used to support more high-speed terrestrial flight testing. In his at the company’s facilities in Mojave, Calif. He joined Virgin Ga-
Achieving a maximum speed of 189 miles per hour, the plane flew tweet, he added, “VISION: Breaking Barriers. MISSION: To be lactic in 2006 as one of its first employees. Enrico will maintain
for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. the world’s leading provider of high-speed flight test services.” his capacity of TSC president.
As part of the initial flight, the pilot and crew evaluated aircraft
performance and handling qualities before landing successfully Virgin Galactic — The Spaceship Company
back at the Mojave Air and Space Port. On Feb. 22, 2019, another ‘first’ occurred at Mojave Air & Space
Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen, who was devoted to space Port, when a third crew member was in the cabin of SpaceShipTwo
endeavors, founded and funded the Stratolaunch project. He passed ‘VSS Unity.’ Chief Astronaut Instructor, Beth Moses, became the
away in October 2018 at age 65, from complications related to first passenger to fly into space with pilots Dave McKay and Mi-
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. chael “Sooch” Masucci.
Fears surrounded the project when it was reported that the late The trio inside ‘Unity’ achieved three times the speed of sound
Paul Allen’s Vulcan, Inc. holding company had put Stratolaunch on their way up and reached an altitude of 55.9 miles, or nearly
up for sale in June 2019 for $400 million. 90 kilometers. The U.S. officially consider pilots who have flown
Scaled Composites announced the transfer of the Stratolaunch above 80 kilometers to be astronauts.
Aircraft to Stratolaunch Corporation in October 2019. Scaled was According to an article in SpaceNews.com, George Whitesides,
contracted in 2011 by Stratolaunch to design, build, and test the chief executive of Virgin Galactic said, “We now have two space-
world’s largest aircraft by wingspan. Having accomplished these ships which are structurally complete, with our third making good
progress.”
Whitesides said, “Building a fleet of SpaceShipTwo vehicles Virgin Orbit photograph
is key to the company’s long-term plans. The company said it Cosmic Girl releases LauncherOne mid-air for the first time during
expects to have a fleet of five SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes by 2023, a July 2019 drop test.
a production rate of one per year. That would allow the company
to generate positive earnings by 2021, growing to $274 million by
2023, assuming commercial operations start in June 2020.” Virgin Orbit
According to TheSpaceshipCompany website, Virgin Galactic Virgin Orbit is a company within the Virgin Group which plans
Holdings, Inc. passed an important test on Jan. 8, 2020 when it to provide launch services for small satellites. The company was
reached the “Weight on Wheels” milestone in the build of its sec- formed in 2017 to develop the air-launched LauncherOne rocket,
ond commercial spaceship. In this milestone, all major structural launched from Cosmic Girl, which had previously been a project
elements of the vehicle were assembled, and the vehicle deployed of Virgin Galactic.
its main landing gear and carried its own weight for the first time. Virgin Orbit is preparing for its maiden orbital rocket launch and
The milestone signals strong progress in the manufacture of has moved their 747 “Cosmic Girl” to the taxiway at the hammer-
Virgin Galactic’s space vehicle fleet by The Spaceship Company, head of runway 30 at Mojave Air & Space Port. It is surrounded
VGH’s wholly-owned aerospace development subsidiary. by support equipment as the company prepares for the first rocket
This Weight on Wheels milestone has been reached considerably launch demonstration.
Virgin Galactic photograph
VSS Unity glides home after the second supersonic flight, Feb. faster than it took to get to this stage with the first spaceship in the The LauncherOne rocket has been mated to Cosmic Girl and the
Virgin Galactic fleet, VSS Unity, which is currently in flight test.
22, 2019. See MOJAVE, Page 13
This pace has been achieved through a more efficient, modular
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