A test mission to see if a jumbo jet and a special rocket could be used to launch small satellites into orbit could take place Monday morning off the Central Coast.
Virgin Orbit had planned the test flight for Sunday, but a sensor issue prompted the flight’s delay for 24 hours.
Plans call for a modified 747 to carry a 70-foot-long rocket to 35,000 feet, where it will be launched.
The mission is intended to test the flight capability, so the rocket only carries a dummy payload. The project could create a much more economical way of launching small satellites into low earth orbit.
The window for the test mission is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, with the transport aircraft taking off from Mojave, and flying over the Central Coast and over the ocean for the test launch.