首次發(fā)射前，維珍軌道完成最后一次主要測試

首次發(fā)射前，維珍軌道完成最后一次主要測試

Virgin Orbit completed a captive carry test flight of its LauncherOne system April 12, the final major milestone before the company performs its first orbital launch attempt.

4月12日，維珍軌道公司完成了其發(fā)射系統(tǒng)的捆綁攜帶測試飛行，這是該公司進行首次軌道發(fā)射嘗試之前的最后一個重要里程碑。

The company’s modified Boeing 747 aircraft, with a LauncherOne rocket attached to its left wing, took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 2:23 p.m. Eastern. The plan flew out over the Pacific Ocean south of Santa Barbara to simulate a launch before returning back to Mojave, with the rocket still attached, about two hours later.

下午2點23分，該公司改裝的波音747飛機從加利福尼亞州的莫哈韋航空航天港起飛，機翼上安裝了一枚發(fā)射火箭。東部。在返回莫哈韋之前，該計劃在圣巴巴拉以南的太平洋上空模擬發(fā)射，大約兩個小時后，火箭仍然掛在火箭上。

Virgin Orbit had performed captive carry test flights in the past, but this was the first with a flight version of LauncherOne, filled with RP-1 fuel and liquid nitrogen, attached. During the flight, the plane tested the launch release maneuver, where the plane pulls up sharply after releasing the rocket.

維珍軌道公司過去曾進行過俘虜式運載試驗飛行，但這是第一次搭載搭載有rpg -1燃料和液氮的“發(fā)射一號”(LauncherOne)飛行版本。在飛行過程中，飛機測試了發(fā)射釋放動作，即飛機在釋放火箭后急劇拉升。

In an April 10 statement, Virgin Orbit described then-upcoming flight as a “a complete, end-to-end launch rehearsal” of the aircraft and ground operations, with the exception of using liquid nitrogen, a safer alternative to the liquid oxygen propellant used for LauncherOne. That test, the company said, was also “the last major step prior to our Launch Demo,” or first orbital launch attempt.

在4月10日的一份聲明中，維珍軌道公司稱當時即將進行的飛行是對飛機和地面操作的“一次完整的、端對端發(fā)射演練”，唯一的例外是使用液氮，這是一種比液氧推進劑更安全的選擇。該公司表示，那次測試也是“我們的發(fā)射演示或首次軌道發(fā)射嘗試之前的最后一個重大步驟”。

Virgin Orbit had planned to carry out the captive carry flight earlier this year, but was delayed in part by the coronavirus pandemic. While among the many space companies considered “essential” by government agencies and thus allowed to remain open, Virgin Orbit sent its staff home with pay for a week last month both to allow them to deal with the dislocations caused by the pandemic as well as to adjust its procedures to allow for on-site operations to continue safely.

維珍軌道公司原計劃在今年早些時候進行俘虜攜帶飛行，但部分由于冠狀病毒大流行而推遲。作為被政府機構認為是“必要的”并因此被允許繼續(xù)開放的航天公司中，維珍軌道公司(Virgin Orbit)上個月要求員工帶薪回家一周，一方面是為了讓他們處理大流行造成的混亂，另一方面是為了調整程序，讓現(xiàn)場操作得以安全進行。

That work, Virgin Orbit said in the earlier statement, included reconfiguring its mission control center and rewriting procedures on the shop floor to comply with recommended physical distancing. It is also more frequently cleaning workspaces and increasing use of personal protective equipment. Even with those changes, the company estimates that up to 90% of its employees are still working remotely.

維珍軌道公司在早些時候的聲明中說，這項工作包括重新配置其任務控制中心，重新編寫車間的程序，以符合建議的物理距離。它也更頻繁地清潔工作場所和增加個人防護設備的使用。即便有了這些變化，該公司估計仍有高達90%的員工在遠程工作。

The captive carry test is the last major test before the company’s first launch attempt. “Of course, we’ll first pore over the data from this captive carry flight, and we’ll run through a few last rehearsals, giving the team a few additional chances to practice their jobs with our new COVID-19 procedures in place,” the company stated.

俘虜攜帶測試是該公司首次發(fā)射前的最后一次重大測試。該公司表示:“當然，我們將首先仔細研究這次專屬攜帶飛行的數據，在covid19新程序到位的情況下，我們將進行幾次最后的排練，給團隊一些額外的機會，來練習他們的工作。”