While Halloween may summon strange, zany, ghoulish frights, there is nothing scary about propelling the small satellite revolution. You need the vision to dream big and the tenacity (and genius) to make the dream reality. But fear is not part of the equation, especially the fear of failure .
In a recent multimedia feature in The Washington Post, Kevin Sagis, Virgin Orbit’s chief engineer and vice president of engineering, said, "One reason that Virgin Orbit has been so successful in just a few years is embracing the idea that failure is acceptable in testing, especially early in a program."
Of course, there is a light over here at the Virgin Orbit factory that makes testing and failing both necessary and efficient.
“On the ground, we evaluate both mission assurance and safety critical components,” said Azusena Jimenez, a propulsion components test engineer here at Virgin Orbit. “The success of these components is essential to keep our crews safe in flight, and also to ensure that our rocket is reaching orbit.”
“We learn a ton from every single test,” she added.
This commitment to testing is in service of our primary mission: to open space for everyone, from everywhere. There’s no end to the way satellites can be used, and we are here to make it happen.
Dig it if you can. Read on!
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Great Scott! Our People Rock
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During this year's Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15) we took a moment to highlight and honor our hardworking and talented Hispanic and Latin teammates. They are key players in our organization and make invaluable contributions to our rocket program.
We truly believe that the unique experiences and perspectives of the individuals on our team is one of our greatest strengths, and we’re very serious about cultivating an equitable, diverse, inclusive environment for everyone in our workspace. That said, we, like many other aerospace companies, have much work to do in this arena and are determined to do so. We believe we have a responsibility to effect positive change wherever we can and encourage others to do so as well.
Please take a moment and read about our Hispanic and Latin teammates making a difference at Virgin Orbit, and learn what you can do year-round to educate yourself, foster understanding, and support these communities.
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Let Us Take You on a Journey
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Our team is thrilled to no longer be stuck in the time warp that has defined these past two years. Monica Jan, senior director of strategy and customer experience; and Steven Eisele, vice president of business development, both pictured above, have been on the ground all week at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress.
Dubbed "the world's largest space event," the five-day gathering assembles more than 4,000 industry participants from around the globe, comprised of 110 countries, heads of international space agencies, delegates, and 100 international space companies. It was held this year in the Middle East for the first time, at the Dubai World Trade Center.
"It’s been great to be able to catch up in person again with our customers and partners from around the world that we have not seen for two years," said Monica.
Well how about that?
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This summer, Virgin Orbit President and CEO Dan Hart was named a 2021 Laureate Award Winner by the editors of Aviation Week.
“This year’s winners show that the engines of innovation in aerospace and aviation continued to turn through one of the most punishing downturns this industry has ever seen,” said Joe Anselmo, editorial director of the Aviation Week Network. “Our editors selected the winners after reviewing dozens of nominations made internally and externally.”
Dan was recognized for his killer leadership in propelling Virgin Orbit to the skyrocketing company we are today, with successful back-to-back launches, happy customers, and a bright public future.
The awards were presented at a dinner on October 18 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington.
Congratulations, Dan! |
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Congratulations to Kelly Latimer who was recently awarded The Derry & Richards Memorial Medal by The Honourable Company of Air Pilots in the City of London. For those who may not remember, Kelly served as the chief pilot on a January 2021 NASA flight, and as first officer on our June mission, Tubular Bells.
The medal is awarded to a test pilot who has made an outstanding contribution in advancing the art and science of aviation and, is not granted every year unless there is truly a deserving recipient such as Kelly Latimer.
The Company of Air Pilots extolled Kelly’s more than 20 years of military and civilian service but specifically noted her contributions to Virgin Orbit, stating that, “…this year she was instrumental in leading the LauncherOne team from the early initial design and operational phase, through to Virgin Orbit’s successful rocket launch of 10 mini cubesats into orbit in January of 2021.” We think that's pretty groovy.
Kelly thanked the Air Pilots, saying “I am truly honored to receive the Derry and Richard’s Memorial Medal. It is an amazing thing to be recognized by your peers in such a professional fashion. But none of this would be possible without the incredible people I get to work with every day. They are the ones who inspire me and are just as worthy of this recognition.”
Congratulations Kelly! |
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