An agreement today paves way for direct collaboration between the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence and Virgin Orbit on developing responsive space capabilities that would benefit NATO and other Allies.
Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) and the Luxembourg Minister of Defence today signed a Letter of Intent that will begin the process towards developing responsive space capabilities inclusive of mobile launch infrastructure that would be based in Luxembourg, but available for NATO partners, and other Allies across the European continent. As part of the agreement, Virgin Orbit, in close coordination with the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence, will assess how a responsive space capability could be based in Luxembourg and optimized for use by NATO and other European allies.
Virgin Orbit Chief Executive Officer Dan Hart and Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, signed the Letter of Intent for the collaboration at a ceremony in Luxembourg earlier today.
"We look forward to working with the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence to explore how Virgin Orbit's flexible and mobile LauncherOne system can provide end-to-end responsive space missions to strengthen the resiliency of NATO and other Allies," Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit CEO said. "As we approach the first historiclaunch in the United Kingdom and recent announcements to bring air-launch capability to other parts of the world, this initiative in Luxembourg resonates as another significant milestone in our journey to enable resilient space access by providing a game-changing global launch infrastructure."
In this initiative, Virgin Orbit will develop a plan for the development, delivery, mobilization, and sustainment of LauncherOne Ground Support Equipment and other responsive launch infrastructure that would be allocated for Allied use. Through this collaboration, Virgin Orbit and the Directorate of Defence will engage with partners interested in leveraging this capability and determine the necessary operating constructs and requirements for delivering responsive launch infrastructure to Luxembourg that would allow Allied nations to conduct horizontal launches from a network of active and on-call spaceports in Europe.
Minister of Defence François Bausch declared: "Luxembourg Defence is constantly searching for new ways to strengthen its role as a reference partner in the space domain. As highlighted in our Space Strategy, we aim at contributing to the joint effort in defence by developing high-end space capabilities and ensuring access to space through resilient satellite launch capabilities. Our future cooperation with Virgin Orbit is an excellent example of this ambition and we are looking forward to further investigate how we can contribute to the development of the responsive space capability with Allies and partners."
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne flexible launch system offers transportable, mobile, rapid and responsive launch services with the goal of developing a global spaceport network that will offer launch and integrated mission services around the world. In addition to launch services, Virgin Orbit works with partners to provide end-to-end space solutions tailored for defense and intelligence customers.
Building upon the Defence Space Strategy released earlier this year, the collaboration represents one of many activities by the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence to provide resilient SATCOM, Earth Observation, and Space Situational Awareness capabilities, and to foster international cooperation to enable and support the freedom of action in the space domain.
About Virgin Orbit
Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) operates one of the most flexible and responsive space launch systems ever built. Founded by Sir Richard Branson in 2017, the company began commercial service in 2021, and has already delivered commercial, civil, national security, and international satellites into orbit. Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and are air-launched from a modified 747-400 carrier aircraft that allows Virgin Orbit to operate from locations all over the world in order to best serve each customer's needs. Learn more at www.virginorbit.com and visit us on LinkedIn, on Twitter @virginorbit, and on Instagram @virgin.orbit.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to the ability of Virgin Orbit Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") to access sources of capital; its ability to grow market share in the developing space economy; market acceptance of its current and planned products and services and ability to achieve sufficient production volumes, as well as the factors, risks and uncertainties included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2022, as well as in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Information section of the Company's website at www.virginorbit.com. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The Company gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
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Contacts:
Alison Patch, Senior Director of Communications
+1-949-616-2504
Alison.patch@virginorbit.com
Amanda Horn, 4media
+1-775-636-2567
Amanda.horn@4media-group.com
Michael SCHUSTER
Press Secretary of the Minister of Defence
E-mail: michael.schuster@mae.etat.lu
Tel.: (+352) 247-82860
Mobile: (+352) 621 407 920
