Commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic reports that global communications company Sky and Space Global (ASX:SAS) has signed a binding launch services agreement to purchase four dedicated missions on the LauncherOne system.

Speaking at the World Satellite Business Week event in Paris, officials from the two companies revealed that these flights will enable the deployment of Sky and Space Global's initial constellation. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Virgin Galactic also announced the capability to fly LauncherOne from low latitudes, allowing customers to maximize the amount of payload delivered to low inclination orbit, including equatorial orbits. Typically, ground-based launch vehicles must expend significant amounts of performance to deliver spacecraft to inclinations well away from the latitude of the launch site.

By contrast, as an air-launched system, LauncherOne can optimize each mission to customer requirements by operating from a variety of launch locations-including launching the rocket from above or near the equator in order to most efficiently and cost-effectively insert satellites into low inclination orbits.

Sky and Space Global's flights are the first announced LauncherOne missions planned to fly from low latitudes, allowing Sky and Space Global to maximize the amount of payload delivered to a low inclination orbit. Previously disclosed LauncherOne contracts, including flights for OneWeb and NASA, are designed to fly to higher inclination orbits.

Each of the four launches purchased by Sky and Space Global will be used to carry multiple satellites, which will rapidly establish the company's innovative communication system infrastructure and service. The flights are expected to begin in 2018.

Speaking at the Paris event, Virgin Galactic CEO George T. Whitesides said: "Having a 747 as our flying launch site means that LauncherOne can tailor each mission to suit each customer.

"We've seen an enormous level of commercial and governmental interest in launches that can reach equatorial orbits without having to pay the large performance penalty associated with transfer orbits.

"We're very excited to have this agreement in place now with a great company like Sky and Space Global to deliver their satellites to orbit reliably, affordably, and flexibly."

Sky and Space Global CEO Meir Moalem added: "We are thrilled to partner with Virgin Galactic on our exciting missions and LauncherOne's first low inclination launches. Just as we value purposeful innovation and customer service, Virgin Galactic shares our values and our vision for how communication can fundamentally improve lives. We have an ideal partner in Virgin Galactic's LauncherOne and its operational flexibility and are excited to work together to change the world for good."

The fully-funded LauncherOne program is currently in advanced phase of hardware testing for every subsystem and major component of the vehicle. With hundreds of millions of dollars of launches already under contract, Virgin Galactic has established a state-of-the-art 150,000 square foot manufacturing shop in Long Beach, California, with a team of more than 200 experienced aerospace professionals currently preparing the system for its first test flights.