{{Short description|American aerospace company}} {{Infobox company | name = Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) | logo = Generation Orbit GO Boldly.png | type = Private | industry = Aerospace | products = Hypersonic Flight Testing | num_employees = 30+ | caption = | founded = {{Start date|2011|04|25}} | location = Atlanta, Georgia | website = {{URL|www.generationorbit.com}} }}
'''Generation Orbit Launch Services''' ('''GO''') is an American aerospace company based in Atlanta, Georgia that is developing the technology for launch services for small payloads.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Iannotta |first=Ben |date=2014 |title=2016 Could Bring Breakthrough for Small Satellites |url=http://www.aiaa.org/SecondaryTwoColumn.aspx?id=21170 |work=AIAA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026132342/http://www.aiaa.org/SecondaryTwoColumn.aspx?id=21170 |archive-date=October 26, 2014 |access-date=April 30, 2014 }}</ref> The air-launch approach developed by GO and its partners offers flexible launch capabilities, poised to reduce fixed infrastructure needs, launch costs, and the time from contract signature to launch for government and industry customers alike.
==History== GO was founded on April 25, 2011 as a subsidiary company of SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc.<ref name="innerspace-20130220">{{Cite news |last=Money |first=Stewart |date=February 20, 2013 |title=Smallsat Launch Industry Begins to Take Off |url=http://innerspace.net/tag/generation-orbit/ |work=Innerspace |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808042320/https://innerspace.net/tag/generation-orbit/ |archive-date=August 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="sn-20131126">{{Cite news |last=Leone |first=Dan |date=November 26, 2013 |title=Startup Generation Orbit Launch Service Bets Big on 'Small Space' |url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/38365startup-generation-orbit-launch-service-bets-big-on-%E2%80%98small-space%E2%80%99 |work=Spacenews.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140407181528/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/38365startup-generation-orbit-launch-service-bets-big-on-%E2%80%98small-space%E2%80%99 |archive-date=April 7, 2014 }}</ref> In 2013, GO competed in the NewSpace Business Plan Competition (BPC), winning first place and the $100,000 prize.<ref name="seradata-20131127">{{Cite news |last=Todd |first=David |date=November 27, 2013 |title=Generation Orbit GOLauncher wins prize as latest contender for NASA cubesat launch contracts |url=http://seradata.com/SSI/2013/11/generation-orbit-launch-services-wins-prize-latest-contender-nasa-cubesat-launch-contracts/ |work=Seradata |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210849/http://seradata.com/SSI/2013/11/generation-orbit-launch-services-wins-prize-latest-contender-nasa-cubesat-launch-contracts/ |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=April 25, 2014 }}</ref> The BPC was administered by the Space Frontier Foundation and held at Stanford University. Following the Business Plan Competition, GO was selected in September 2013 for NASA's Enabling eXploration and Technology (NEXT) contract, with an award of $2.1 million.<ref name="nasa-20130930">{{Cite press release |editor-last=Diller |editor-first=George H. |date=September 30, 2013 |title=NASA Awards First CubeSat-Class Launch Services Contract |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-first-cubesat-class-launch-services-contract/ |publisher=NASA |id=26-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713173505/https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-first-cubesat-class-launch-services-contract/ |archive-date=July 13, 2025 }}</ref><ref name="generation-2013-10-01">{{Cite press release |date=October 1, 2013 |location=Atlanta, Ga. |title=Generation Orbit Wins NASA Launch Contract |url=http://moonandback.com/2013/10/01/generation-orbit-wins-nasa-launch-contract/ |publisher=Generation Orbit |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026132452/http://moonandback.com/2013/10/01/generation-orbit-wins-nasa-launch-contract/ |archive-date=October 26, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2014 |via=Moonandback }}</ref><ref name="parabolic-20130930">{{Cite news |last=Messier |first=Doug |date=September 30, 2013 |title=Generation Orbit Wins NASA Contract for Dedicated CubeSat Launch |url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/09/30/generation-orbit-wins-nasa-contract-dedicated-cubesat-launch/ |work=Parabolic Arc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004173641/https://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/09/30/generation-orbit-wins-nasa-contract-dedicated-cubesat-launch/ |archive-date=October 4, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="georgiatech">{{Cite press release |editor-last=Piplica |editor-first=A.J. |date=September 30, 2013 |title=Generation Orbit Awarded NASA Contract for Launch of GOLauncher 2 |url=http://www.research.gatech.edu/news/generation-orbit-awarded-nasa-contract-launch-golauncher-2 |publisher=Georgia Tech |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026131655/http://www.research.gatech.edu/news/generation-orbit-awarded-nasa-contract-launch-golauncher-2 |archive-date=October 26, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="fbo">{{Cite web |date=September 30, 2013 |title=NASA Launch Services Enabling eXploration and Technology (NEXT) |url=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=8fccb39fa13700cc6ddadfe3c0884c66&tab=core&_cview=1 |work=FedBizOpps.Gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026134042/https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=8fccb39fa13700cc6ddadfe3c0884c66&tab=core&_cview=1 |archive-date=October 26, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="economist-20140607">{{Cite news |date=June 7, 2014 |title=Nanosats are go! |url=https://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21603240-small-satellites-taking-advantage-smartphones-and-other-consumer-technologies |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The Economist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111223643/https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2014/06/05/nanosats-are-go |archive-date=November 11, 2020 }}</ref>
==GOLauncher family== Generation Orbit is developing the GOLauncher family, a series of high-speed flight and space launch systems designed to lower costs, improve responsiveness, and increase overall mission flexibility.
GO-FET is a captive carry test platform for avionics, spacecraft hardware, fluids experiments, CubeSats, nanosats, and pre-release flight maneuver testing. The GO-FET configuration uses a Learjet 35 aircraft platform that was first flown on July 30, 2014.<ref name="satellitetoday-20140806">{{Cite news |last=Henry |first=Caleb |date=August 6, 2014 |title=Generation Orbit Conducts Flight Test for Air-Launch SmallSat Vehicle - Via Satellite - |url=https://www.satellitetoday.com/business/2014/08/06/generation-orbit-conducts-flight-test-for-air-launch-smallsat-vehicle/ |work=Via Satellite |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627101958/https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2014/08/06/generation-orbit-conducts-flight-test-for-air-launch-smallsat-vehicle/ |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref>
The X-60A GOLauncher 1 (GO1) is an air-launched single stage suborbital rocket vehicle.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{URL|www.generationorbit.com}}
Category:Commercial spaceflight Category:Companies based in Atlanta Category:Private spaceflight companies