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Hello and welcome back to Max Q! Last week wasn\u2019t the most successful for spaceflight missions. We\u2019ll get into that a bit more below.<\/p>\n
In this issue:<\/p>\n
After Virgin Orbit\u2019s launch failure last Monday, during which the mission experienced an\u00a0\u201canomaly\u201d<\/a> that prevented the rocket from reaching orbit, I went back over the company\u2019s financials \u2014 and things aren\u2019t looking good.<\/p>\n For Virgin Orbit, this year has likely been completely turned on its head. The company was aiming for three launches this year, but everything will remain grounded until the cause of the anomaly has been identified and resolved. It\u2019s unclear how long that will take, but likely at least three months. Add this delay to Virgin\u2019s dwindling cash reserves and you have a foundation that\u2019s suddenly much shakier than before.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Virgin Orbit\/Greg Robinson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Launch startup\u00a0ABL Space Systems\u2019<\/a> first orbital launch attempt ended in failure last Tuesday after all nine engines on the RS1 rocket\u2019s first stage shut down simultaneously. The rocket subsequently hit the launch pad and was destroyed on impact.<\/p>\n ABL President Dan Piemont told TechCrunch that while the investigation into the failure is still in its early stages, \u201cThe simultaneity of the shutdown is a strong piece of evidence but it will take more time for the team to narrow down contributing factors and a root cause.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Flight 2 vehicle is fully assembled and ready to begin it\u2019s flight campaign, so we\u2019re champing at the bit to get going on that as soon as the Flight 1 investigation is complete,\u201d Piemont said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> ABL Space RS1 rocket<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Max Q is brought to you by me, Aria Alamalhodaei<\/a>. If you enjoy reading Max Q, consider forwarding it to a friend.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"ABL](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/abl-space-.jpeg\")
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