Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit Reaches Space for the First Time With Its Air-Launched Rocket Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket was dropped mid-air from the underside of a modified Boeing 747 nicknamed Cosmic Girl. By Reuters | Updated: 19 January 2021 12:48 IST Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit, with a rocket underneath the wing of a modified Boeing 747 jetliner Highlights The rocket is a launcher tailored for carrying small satellites to space The shortened mission generated key test data for the company Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit reached space for the first time on Sunday with a successful test of its air-launched rocket, delivering ten NASA satellites to orbit and achieving a key milestone after aborting the rocket's first test launch last year.