The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has seconded one of its pilots to the Virgin Orbit satellite launch programme as part of a wider ‘ambitious’ national defence space effort.
Flight Lieutenant Mathew ‘Stanny’ Stannard was selected to join the 747-based Virgin Galactic small-satellite launch programme. (Crown Copyright)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 3 October that Eurofighter Typhoon and test pilot Flight Lieutenant Mathew ‘Stanny’ Stannard had been selected to join Virgin’s Boeing 747-based small-satellite launch programme.
“Flt Lt Stannard is a Typhoon pilot with one of the RAF’s test and evaluation squadrons and is expected to join the pioneering Virgin Orbit programme next year, pending final US and UK regulatory approvals,” the MoD said, adding, “The secondment is expected to last three years and will see Flt Lt Stannard join the fleet of expert ‘test pilots’ trialling Boeing 747-400 aircraft from which cutting-edge satellites will be launched.”
The MoD’s decision to second a pilot with Virgin Orbit was first announced at the 2019 Chief of the Air Staff’s Air and Space Power Conference (ASPC) in London on 18 July. At the time the then-Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt said, “Science fiction is becoming science fact [and] one day I want to see RAF pilots earning their ‘space wings’ and flying beyond the stratosphere.”
Virgin Orbit is developing the launch of small satellites from a 747 testbed aircraft. (Crown Copyright)
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