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Virgin Orbit blames 'dislodged filter' for January launch failure

April 19, 2023 9:40 AM EDT

FILE PHOTO: The Virgin Orbit building is seen after the company paused operations last week, in Long Beach, California, U.S., March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reuters) -Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc on Wednesday blamed a dislodged filter for a failed rocket launch in January, and said it was planning another mission later this year as the issue had been fixed.

The satellite launch company, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month as it struggled to secure long-term funding following the failed launch.

The January mission using Virgin Orbit's centerpiece LauncherOne rocket, the first rocket launch out of Britain, failed to reach orbit and sent its payload of commercial and defense-related research satellites plunging into the ocean.

"Ground test results matched flight data, confirming the dislodging of the filter as the initiation event of the January launch failure," Virgin Orbit said on Wednesday.

The company added that a series of tests had verified the performance of the redesigned filter and that another launch was planned from Mojave Air and Space Port in California later this year.

In an interview with the Washington Post on Wednesday, CEO Dan Hart said some key financial and operational missteps led the company to burn through hundreds of millions of dollars, while producing just a handful of successful launches.

The company, which now has just 100 employees, was in "a lot of discussions" with potential buyers, Hart told the Washington Post.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Anil D'Silva)



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