TOKYO: ANA Holdings Inc. has announced an agreement with US space business Virgin Orbit to start a satellite launch service using an aircraft in Japan.

The two companies hope to carry out 20 satellite launches over the 10 years from 2022, using Oita Airport in southwestern Japan as the launch base, the parent of All Nippon Airways said Friday.

In the service, a customized jumbo jet will release a satellite-mounted rocket at an altitude of about 10 kilometres.

The service will help save rocket fuel, reducing the costs and environmental impact of satellite launches.

In addition, the service will make launch operations less vulnerable to changes in weather conditions than when rockets are launched from fixed sites on the ground.

ANA Holdings will obtain regulatory approvals and permits and equipment necessary for the service. It will also support fund procurement and sell empty space inside rockets.

JIJI Press