The launch will carry seven satellites for commercial and government customers, including the UK Ministry of Defence, the US Naval Research Laboratory and the government of Oman.
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket will carry the CubeSat into low Earth orbit.
In addition, Virgin Orbit National Systems has added retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig Cooning to its board of directors.
Space Forge has developed a fully returnable and reusable satellite platform to enable in-space manufacturing.
There is a five-year ordering period and a maximum total value of $300m across all contracts.
The partnership aims to empower local talents and open investment opportunities for universities through an academic exchange programme.
The launch is the first of six that Virgin Orbit has scheduled for 2022, two of which are planned for Spaceport Cornwall in England, while the rest will fly out ...
BigBear has already begun working to support Virgin Orbit and its customers through the real-time deployment of AI-powered software for mobile assets in the field.
The merger will turn Virgin Orbit into a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq with an initial valuation of $3.2bn.
Baird replaces Mandy Vaughn, who stepped down as president of VOX Space earlier this year.
Prior to SpaceX, he held roles at both Boeing and NASA at Kennedy Space Center.
The launch will be the first since its Launch Demo 2 mission in January, which carried 10 CubeSats for NASAs Venture Class Launch Services programme.
In an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, Michaelyn Thomas, Head of Affordability at Virgin Orbit, discusses novel ways in which the company has attempted to make space affordable.
