The modified Boeing 747, called Cosmic Maiden, will take off from Cornwall spaceport in southwest England.
Hugh Hastings/Stringer/Getty Images
Bankrupt rocket company Virgin Orbit sold its facility leases and equipment to three aerospace companies in an auction, according to a court document released Tuesday.
Bids totaled approximately $36 million. A Virgin Orbit spokesman confirmed that Virgin Orbit’s six or so rockets are in various stages of manufacturing assembly and that intellectual property has not been sold.
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rocket lab The company successfully bid $16.1 million for the company’s Long Beach, Calif., headquarters, which spans about 140,000 square feet, a spokesman said. Although Rocket Lab was established in New Zealand, it is already a neighbor of Virgin Orbit, and its headquarters and facilities are located in the Long Beach area. Additionally, Rocket Lab’s purchase includes assets such as 3D printers and specialized can welding machines.
Stratolaunch is bidding $17 million for Virgin Orbit’s 747 jet. In a statement to CNBC, a Stratolaunch spokesperson said the company “constantly evaluates ways to improve our capabilities to meet the need to test hypersonic technology through advanced flight demonstrations.”
Stratolaunch noted: “We will share more news about this launch at launch.”
Launcher, a subsidiary of Vast Space, acquired the company’s Mojave, California, factory along with some machinery, equipment and inventory for $2.7 million. Virgin Orbit’s lease in the Mojave Desert includes infrastructure such as rocket engine test stands and aircraft hangars.
Liquidation firm Inliper is buying the company’s office equipment for $650,000.
Rocket Lab and Launcher did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
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Virgin Orbit had previously agreed to the terms of Stratolaunch’s bid to buy the 747 jet Cosmic Maiden and other aircraft assets during bankruptcy proceedings. Stratolaunch has been developing its own onboard system, the world’s largest aircraft “Roc”, as a platform for hypersonic flight tests.
On April 4, Virgin Orbit filed for bankruptcy protection after failing to secure funding and laying off nearly all of its employees. The auction results fell short of Virgin Orbit’s goal in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of finding a wholesale buyer to preserve the integrity of the company’s assets and intellectual property.
The bankruptcy court is scheduled to approve the sale at a hearing Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
