Virgin Orbit in MOU with ANA Holdings for Japan launches

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Virgin Orbit says it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with ANA Holdings Inc. for 20 flights of its LauncherOne rocket originating from an airport in Japan’s Oita prefecture. Virgin Orbit said Thursday that ANA Holdings, owner of Japan’s largest airline, and several partners would fund the manufacturing of mobile ground support equipment for the LauncherOne system. LauncherOne is capable of carrying small satellites, weighing up to about 1,100 pounds, to orbit. The rocket is carried to high altitude beneath the wing of a former Boeing 747 airliner and released. The plan is subject to U.S. and Japanese regulatory approvals.