Virgin Orbit said Thursday it is pausing all operations amid reports the company is furloughing almost all its staff as part of a bid to seek a funding lifeline.
. The failure was a disappointment for Virgin Orbit and British space officials, who had high hopes that the launch would mark the beginning of more commercial opportunities for the U.K. space industry.
The company said last month that an investigation into the failure found that its rocket's fuel filter had become dislodged, causing an engine to become overheated and other components to malfunction. The nine small satellites it carried fell back to Earth and landed in the Atlantic Ocean. "Our investigation is nearly complete and our next production rocket with the needed modification incorporated is in final stages of integration and test," Virgin Orbit said in its statement Thursday.
The investigation includes oversight by regulators in the U.S. and the U.K., including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch, according to the Virgin Orbit site. The company has said that its next launch will take place from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California for a commercial customer. It hasn't provided a date.
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