Richard Branson’s rocket company Virgin Orbit to begin mass producing ventilators

Richard Branson’s rocket company Virgin Orbit to begin mass producing ventilators

“Usually we’re working on rocket engines and launch systems that take satellites to orbit. But with the looming COVID-19 crisis, we reached out to [California] Governor Newsom and asked ‘what can we do to help?’” [CEO Dan] Hart said. Newsom connected Virgin Orbit with doctors and engineers at University of California Irvine and University of Texas in Austin, who Hart said “we’re working on a concept to make a simple ventilator.” The goal was to develop and ventilator that could be built quickly and mass produced.