NewsCalifornia News

Actions

1st test launch by Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit postponed

Virgin Orbit
Posted
and last updated

MOJAVE, Calif. — (AP) — Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit has postponed its first space launch due to a technical problem. The flight was supposed to have happened Sunday but a sensor began acting up. The company has a backup launch window available on Monday.

Virgin Orbit’s rocket is carried beneath the wing of a Boeing 747 that will take off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the desert north of Los Angeles and fly out over the Pacific Ocean. The rocket will be released and its motor will ignite a few seconds later to propel a dummy satellite into low Earth orbit.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Wednesday

02/25/2026

Mostly Cloudy

-° / 56°

7%

Thursday

02/26/2026

Partly Cloudy

73° / 56°

16%

Friday

02/27/2026

Cloudy

76° / 55°

8%

Saturday

02/28/2026

Mostly Clear

82° / 56°

12%

Sunday

03/01/2026

Partly Cloudy

78° / 52°

14%

Monday

03/02/2026

Mostly Clear

70° / 49°

10%

Tuesday

03/03/2026

Mostly Clear

71° / 49°

6%

Wednesday

03/04/2026

Partly Cloudy

73° / 48°

17%