Virgin Orbit Will Take the First Dutch Defense Satellite to Space

Breanna De Vera

Breanna de Vera is dot.LA's editorial intern. She is currently a senior at the University of Southern California, studying journalism and English literature. She previously reported for the campus publications The Daily Trojan and Annenberg Media.

virgin orbit launcherone rocket

Virgin Orbit will launch the Dutch Ministry of Defense's first satellite into space later this year. It comes over a week after the Long Beach-based company successfully placed satellites from its LauncherOne rocket into orbit for the first time.

The company announced Monday it had been selected by the Dutch space engineering company Innovative Solutions in Space to propel the Royal Netherlands Air Force's first satellite, BRIK II, into space.


Senior business development associate Bret Perry said the partnership has been discussed over the past few years — the Dutch Ministry of Defense is a very active member in the Responsive Space Capabilities Memorandum of Understanding, and Virgin Orbit hosted members of the Royal Netherlands Air Force Team at their factory in 2019.

The BRIK-II will be a test for communications experiments and military operations uses, and since there will be extra room on the launch, the small satellite will be accompanied by U.S. Department of Defense payloads.

Rideshares in this context are still fairly unusual, said Virgin Orbit spokesperson Kendall Russell. However, as satellites get smaller and launching gets cheaper, he believes we'll see even more international collaboration, particularly as the private and commercial launch markets grow.

Virgin Orbit will also be utilizing "late-load" integration, meaning the company will add its payload to the rocket right before launch. Though this integration isn't necessary, as there is enough lead time, Virgin Orbit is hoping to demonstrate its capabilities for future launches.

According to Perry, the standard lead time is about 30 days, but satellite operators in commercial and government communities often need much shorter lead times.

"I can already foresee the day when we will take off from a runway on Dutch soil and deliver RNLAF satellites to space directly. LauncherOne's unique air launch capability is filling a gap for government space missions — mobility and responsiveness are sorely needed to disincentivize aggression in space at a time when we rely more and more on a threatened space infrastructure," said Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit's chief executive officer, in a statement.

Virgin Orbit successfully completed a second launch test of its LauncherOne rocket a week ago, following a failed launch eight months earlier. Its competitors include Rocket Lab and Firefly Aerospace, companies that also use launches from mid air to send satellites to space.

According to the Virgin Orbit website, the company also has launches booked by customers including the UK Royal Air Force, Swarm Technologies, Denmark's GomSpace and Italy's SITAEL.

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Relativity Space Launches World’s First 3D-Printed Rocket, But Falls Short of Orbit

Samson Amore

Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College and previously covered technology and entertainment for TheWrap and reported on the SoCal startup scene for the Los Angeles Business Journal. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

Relativity Space Launches World’s First 3D-Printed Rocket, But Falls Short of Orbit
Photo: Relativity Space

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Samson Amore

Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College and previously covered technology and entertainment for TheWrap and reported on the SoCal startup scene for the Los Angeles Business Journal. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

What Is ‘Embodied Audio?’ And Can It Help Professional Sports Teams Fill Their Stadiums?
Photo: Edge Sound Research

In 2020, the Minnesota Twins experimented with a new technology that brought fans the ability to physically feel the sounds they were hearing in the stadium in the back of their seats as part of a new immersive way to experience baseball.

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LA Venture: B Capital’s Howard Morgan on What To Look For in Potential Founders

Decerry Donato

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

LA Venture: B Capital’s Howard Morgan on What To Look For in Potential Founders
Provided by LAV

On this episode of the LA Venture podcast, B Capital Group General Partner and Chair Howard Morgan discusses his thoughts on early stage investing and the importance of company ownership.


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