Wagner Corporation and Virgin Orbit have signed an agreement to assess a potential LauncherOne demonstration mission from the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport.
Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB), a leading launch provider, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wagner Corporation, one of the region’s most successful privately-owned companies and proprietor of the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and Business Park in Queensland, Australia. The agreement will allow the companies to begin the process of implementing a national launch capability from Australia, with the goal of providing satellite launch services from the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport using Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne System.
In pursuing their joint mission to revolutionize the space industry in Australia, Virgin Orbit and Wagner Corporation are exploring the potential to certify Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport as a national spaceport to perform an orbital launch demonstration as early as 2024. The cooperative effort is designed to catalyze the maturing Australian small satellite and space solutions market, stimulate local economic growth, support commercial and civil endeavors and provide Australian defense and government with a flexible, responsive and flight-proven national launch capability in support of a wide range of mission applications.
Drawing on regional and local expertise from Wagner Corporation and on launch and mission expertise from Virgin Orbit, this collaboration will focus its initial efforts on tailoring LauncherOne operations from Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport to comply with Australian launch licensing regulatory requirements and spaceport-specific operations. Both companies aim to develop a roadmap for how LauncherOne’s Mobile Ground Support Equipment and other infrastructure could be built and staged at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport to provide Australia with a resilient and proven national launch capability, and ultimately transform the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport into Australia’s leading space industry innovation center. The roadmap will seek to lay out the steps required to enable the first flights of LauncherOne to occur from Australia in as soon as 16-18 months.
“At Virgin Orbit, we look to a day soon when satellites fly to space from Australia. We’re thrilled to be working alongside Wagner Corporation, one of the region’s most successful privately-owned companies, to bring the first national orbital launch to Australia. Combining their deep knowledge of infrastructure development and affinity for aerospace with our proven, responsive LauncherOne system, we have all the ingredients to bring spaceflight to Queensland,”
commented Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart.
Wagner Corporation Chairman John Wagner said:
“Virgin Orbit’s selection of Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport for its newest national spaceport, to perform satellite launches, was extremely exciting and a further significant boost for Queensland and Australia. Wellcamp Airport and Business Park is on track to becoming one of the most sustainable carbon neutral destinations internationally. Virgin Orbit will join Boeing and other international companies as part of Wellcamp’s new world-class, Aerospace and Defence Precinct and Campus, with Stage 1 due for completion by the end of 2024. Attracting global companies such as Virgin Orbit is recognition of the strategic advantages that Wellcamp Airport and the Aerospace and Defence Precinct offers, and we are looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship.”
“Australian space is open for business. We are excited to see a leading global launch company working with Australian industry to develop an agile, responsive solution for space clients,”
said James Brown, CEO Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA).
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.
About Wagner Corporation
The family-owned Wagner Corporation (ASX: WGN) has a reputation for intrepid thinking, quality delivery, trusted partnerships, and a proven track-record for purpose-built infrastructure and new product design. Wagner Corporation and its associated entities are the owner of the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and Wellcamp Aerospace and Defence Precinct in Queensland, Australia. To learn more, visit www.wagnercorporation.com.au or contact info@wagnerco.com.au.
Courtesy of Virgin Orbit
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