Virgin Orbit Completes First Captive Carry Flight Written 19 November 2018

Space News reports that Virgin Orbit successfully performed the first “captive carry flight of its LauncherOne air-launch system Nov. 18, a key testing milestone as the company moves closer to a first flight.” Virgin Orbit’s “Cosmic Girl” aircraft took off with a “pylon added to its left wing to which the LauncherOne rocket attaches,” and landed around 90 minutes later. One eyewitness “posted video of the plane taking off from the Victorville airport with a rocket attached,” and a company spokesperson “confirmed later Nov. 18 that this was a captive carry flight, the first for Virgin Orbit.” The captive carry test program “will culminate in a drop test, where the rocket is released in flight from the plane but does not ignite its engine, instead falling to the desert floor.”
More Info (Space News)