Michaelyn Thomas of Virgin Orbit Talks on Affordability and Women Inclusion in the Space Industry

Virgin Orbit continues to be praised for its mission to make space affordable to all, and Michaelyn Thomas of Virgin Orbit emphasized this more. During the interview, she talked of her role as the head of Affordability, an unusual role that has many people intrigued. Her role advocates for affordable access to space by launching smallsats for all customers.

According to her, the small satellites can prove beneficial to the world, especially as a way to connect rural communities. Furthermore, they can be used to monitor major issues such as global warming. With that in mind, the question arises on how the company will manage to achieve this mission.

How Can Virgin Orbit Make Space Affordable to its Customers?

Michaelyn Thomas explained during the interview how the company is accomplishing this mission. It is using a rocket known as LauncherOne that allows it to expand access to space for most companies. This is done by launching smaller satellites in groups, which is easier than launching one at a time.

Additionally, her mission remains to foster relationships that can help keep the cost of launching as low as possible. The company’s system is ideal for most customers due to its mobility, making it flexible for all who need its services. Also, making space affordable keeps inspiring innovation at the company.

Such innovation comes in the form of assistance for nations without their own launchpads. Virgin Orbit makes use of what each country has to offer in terms of infrastructure. This means they don’t have to build a new spaceport to launch satellites because it can use military bases or airports.

More so, innovation in this sector has opened up many more opportunities for women in space technology. Many are now involved in making the industry as creative and productive as possible.

Women and Space Technology as Stated by Michaelyn Thomas

The space industry is growing tremendously, and women are a big part of that growth. According to research done in 2019, women make up 16% of senior leaders in this industry.

Still, there are limitations to women’s involvement that need to be tackled as the growth of the industry advances.