Virgin Orbit will launch the final satellite in the in-orbit demonstration program for The Satellite Applications Catapult and Horizon.
The satellite, named Amber-1 and built by AAC Clyde Space in Scotland, will be launched by the LauncherOne rocket. The mission, which will take off aboard Cosmic Girl – Virgin’s 747 first stage – will be historic, marking the first-ever orbital launch from the United Kingdom.
Amber-1 will be the first of more than 20 satellites in the Amber family, which will seek to provide maritime data. The radiofrequency geolocation of ships around the world will be used to track illegal fishing, smuggling, piracy, and terrorism. The information collected will be provided to the UK’s Joint Maritime Security Centre.
Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said, «We are thrilled to be working with The Catapult and Horizon to launch Amber-1». On the fact of carrying out the first launch from British soil, the leader added that «this operation is a demonstration of the growth we are seeing in the UK space economy».
Lucy Edge, COO of The Satellite Applications Catapult, added: «We believe this launch will be a huge milestone for the UK space sector. This summer, the UK will complete its end-to-end ecosystem and bring together the design, build, launch, and operation stages of spacecraft.»
