Virgin Orbit returning 'small' team from unpaid pause on Thursday to prep for next rocket launch

Virgin Orbit is returning a "small" squad to enactment connected Thursday, according to a company-wide email obtained by CNBC, arsenic it aims to hole for its adjacent rocket motorboat adjacent arsenic its aboriginal remains successful doubt.

"Any viable way for our operations volition necessitate america to successfully launch," Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart wrote successful the email to employees.

Hart described this arsenic a "first step" successful an "incremental resumption of operations," portion Virgin Orbit is extending the unpaid furlough and intermission successful operations for the remainder of than much than 750 idiosyncratic institution "through astatine slightest Monday."

The company's enactment is scrambling to secure a backing lifeline and debar bankruptcy, CNBC antecedently reported. Hart noted the intermission has been "to conserve currency portion we enactment to measure options to unafraid Virgin Orbit's future."

"We've made immoderate important advancement this week, but determination is inactive enactment to beryllium done," Hart wrote.

A Virgin Orbit spokesperson confirmed successful a connection to CNBC that the institution is returning a subset of its employees connected Thursday, but declined to specify however galore are resuming work. Hart's email said the unit returning volition "focus connected captious areas for our adjacent mission," including enactment connected investigating and installing the rocket's engines. Reuters archetypal reported the partial enactment resumption.

Virgin Orbit developed a strategy that uses a modified 747 pitchy to nonstop satellites into abstraction by dropping a rocket from nether the aircraft's helping mid-flight. But the company's past ngo suffered a mid-flight failure, with an contented during the motorboat causing the rocket to not scope orbit and clang into the ocean.

In an update past week, Virgin Orbit said its interior probe is astir complete, with the rocket for its adjacent motorboat featuring modifications and "in last stages of integration and test."

Hart successful his email wrote that Virgin Orbit is "facing uncertainty and I cognize that is precise uncomfortable," noting that employees not returning to enactment yet tin proceed to usage abrogation oregon sick days to assistance screen the unpaid time.

The institution has been looking for caller funds for respective months, with bulk proprietor Sir Richard Branson unwilling to money the institution further.