DARPA Launch Challenge down to one competitor as launches loom

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Launch Challenge (DLC), an effort to increase the flexibility and pace of military launch, is down to one competitor after two previous qualifiers bowed out approximately four months before first launch.

The remaining competitor is a space startup comprising industry veterans remaining unnamed by DARPA while the company works toward internal technical milestones, according to an agency statement. VOX Space, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virgin Orbit, exited the competition this month to focus on its upcoming commercial launches, according to DARPA.

VOX Space, a final competitor for the DARPA Launch Challenge that withdrew at the last minute, is developing a unique air launch capability that would have military value. (VOX Space)

Will Pomerantz, Virgin Orbit vice-president of special projects, told Jane’s on 22 October that the company’s focus remains on completing its final engineering demonstrations and on serving customers already on its launch manifest. He said with flight hardware already in position at VOX Space’s first launch site and with both technical and regulatory work well under way at several more launch sites, the company believes it is on track to meet the goals shared by Virgin Orbit, VOX Space, and the DARPA team.

An industry source told Jane’s on 22 October that he was surprised VOX Space withdrew from the DLC because the company’s air launch delivery method is a unique capability that would be attractive to the Pentagon. VOX Space plans to use a modified Boeing 747-400 carrier aircraft to launch rockets capable of delivering up to 500 kg of payload into a wide range of low earth orbits (LEOs).