Virgin Orbit launches satellites into space

• "This flight also marks a historical first: no other orbital class, air-launched, liquid-fueled rocket had successfully reached space before today," Virgin Orbit said in a statement.

The big picture: The Virgin Orbit "Cosmic Girl," a modified, 70-foot-long Boeing 747-400 carrying the rocket under it's wing, took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California.

• The rocket dropped from the wing and ignited its engine during the launch.
• Virgin Orbit's first attempted demonstration launch was last May, when it was carrying a test satellite. It "briefly flew under power before it stopped thrusting," AP notes.

Worth noting: Rocket Lab, another company launching small satellites to orbit, has "deployed 96 payloads in 17 launches of its Electron rocket from a site in New Zealand," per AP.

• It's preparing to launch another rocket after standing down a mission Sunday.