LOS ANGELES — The 70-foot (21.3-meter) LauncherOne rocket was released Wednesday from a Boeing 747 over an Edwards Air Force Base test range in the Mojave Desert.
The purpose of the test was to observe how the rocket detached from the 747's wing and its free-fall to the desert floor.
The company tweeted that the crews of the 747 and a chase plane reported a clean release.
The test did not involve ignition of the rocket motor.
The company founded by Richard Branson will use the system to launch small satellites into space from multiple locations around the globe, enabling access to orbits that are more difficult to reach from fixed launch sites.
