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Virgin Orbit was an American small satellite launch company that used an air-launched rocket system called LauncherOne, deployed from a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. The company ceased operations in 2023 after a failed mission and filed for bankruptcy.
Virgin Orbit developed LauncherOne, a two-stage rocket air-launched from a modified Boeing 747-400 named Cosmic Girl. The system successfully delivered satellites to orbit on multiple occasions between 2021 and 2023. However, a January 2023 mission failure during a UK launch attempt led to a financial crisis, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2023. Its assets were subsequently acquired by various buyers including Rocket Lab, Stratolaunch, and others.
Not scored The Space Score is a 0 to 1000 snapshot of a space company's size and activity, relative to the other companies we track. It combines size (headcount, market value and revenue, 30%), U.S. federal space contracts (20%), equity raised (15%), momentum (15%) and, for launch companies, orbital launches (20%), so it leans heavily on size. It is descriptive: not a forecast, a rating or investment advice.
This company is not in the Space Score roster. Only company profiles with an active or pre-revenue status are scored.
Inputs measured 2026-10-13 (UTC) · methodology v6 · Who is scored, and why
Sources: Founded, Headquarters, CEO, Status, Parent, Legal name
For information only, not investment advice. SpaceNexus is not a registered investment adviser, broker or dealer, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Data may be delayed, estimated or incomplete; check the source before acting. Full disclaimer
No private round on record before Dec 2021. IPO, offerings, debt and unconverted notes are listed under Funding history by class and not added in.
Air-launched two-stage rocket deployed from a modified Boeing 747-400. Delivered multiple small satellite payloads to orbit before company bankruptcy.
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Compiled Oct 13, 2026 from 4 public records. Every figure links the record it comes from. Facts only: nothing here is a rating, a forecast or a recommendation.
Space federal awards
3 awards, $43.1M obligated
Awards with activity since Oct 1, 2018, as searched Sep 24, 2026. Awarded Apr 27, 2018 to Apr 10, 2020; most from DoD (2 awards)
Counts awards the government's own product code or programme title marks as space work, or the space research industry code; the satellite-telecoms industry code counts only together with a space agency, office or a space word in the award's own description. Obligated dollars, not ceilings; umbrella contracts (IDVs) are left out because their orders are counted one by one. Amounts as USAspending reported them on Sep 24, 2026.
Source: USAspending.gov recipient profile (all awards, not only space)
Latest award Apr 10, 2020
Latest space award
$37.0M from DoD
STP-S28 MISSION TASK ORDER
Source: USAspending.gov award record
Awarded Apr 10, 2020
Latest sourced round
SPAC Merger: amount undisclosed
Lead recorded as NextGen Acquisition Corp II
Source: SEC EDGAR
Announced Dec 29, 2021
Department of Defense
2 space awards, $37.1M obligated
USAspending.gov award record, Apr 10, 2020
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
1 space award, $6.0M obligated
USAspending.gov award record, Apr 27, 2018
AE Industrial Partners
Took part in SPAC Merger (Dec 29, 2021)
SEC EDGAR, Dec 29, 2021
APA
SpaceNexus. (2026, October 13). Virgin Orbit: Company dossier [Data set]. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://spacenexus.us/company-profiles/virgin-orbit
Chicago
SpaceNexus. "Virgin Orbit: Company dossier." Data as of October 13, 2026. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://spacenexus.us/company-profiles/virgin-orbit.
BibTeX
@misc{spacenexus_virginorbit_2026,
author = {{SpaceNexus}},
title = {{Virgin Orbit}: Company dossier},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
howpublished = {\url{https://spacenexus.us/company-profiles/virgin-orbit}},
url = {https://spacenexus.us/company-profiles/virgin-orbit},
urldate = {2026-10-13},
note = {Data as of 2026-10-13; each fact links its primary source}
}Boeing
Took part in SPAC Merger (Dec 29, 2021)
SEC EDGAR, Dec 29, 2021
Mubadala Investment Company
Took part in SPAC Merger (Dec 29, 2021)
SEC EDGAR, Dec 29, 2021
NextGen Acquisition Corp II
Recorded as lead of SPAC Merger (Dec 29, 2021)
SEC EDGAR, Dec 29, 2021
Virgin Group
Took part in SPAC Merger (Dec 29, 2021)
SEC EDGAR, Dec 29, 2021