Virgin Orbit started out as a program at space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic, in 2012 before being spun off into a separate company in 2017. Virgin Orbit’s goal was to build rockets capable of blasting small satellites into space and, at the time, this was still a largely untapped market. Virgin Orbit was well-capitalized, had a dedicated team of talent and a functioning launch system. But launch delays, an inability to land a major customer and an evolving satellite launch market eventually got the company in hot water. Watch the video to find out more about what led to Virgin Orbit’s eventual bankruptcy.

Correction: At 10:45 the correct date for the article is Nov. 7, 2022.

Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction
01:32 — Early days
04:27 — Beginning of the end
10:06 — Final act

Produced and Edited by: Magdalena Petrova
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Editorial Support: Michael Sheetz
Animation: Josh Kalven, Christina Locopo

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What happened to Virgin Orbit?