DJ Squeeze launching rockets into space as part of Virgin’s Orbit mission
Mixmaster a part of space history
Published:Sunday | July 18, 2021 | 1:17 AMYasmine Peru - Senior Gleaner Writer
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One would perhaps have to know a bit about rocket science to accurately guess what disc jock Lenworth ‘DJ Squeeze’ Samuels has been up to in the last five months. In real life, the master of old-school jams has been involved in a history-making...
One would perhaps have to know a bit about rocket science to accurately guess what disc jock Lenworth ‘DJ Squeeze’ Samuels has been up to in the last five months. In real life, the master of old-school jams has been involved in a history-making activity that is simply out of this world. DJ Squeeze has literally been launching satellites into outer space, experiencing zero gravity and even managing to slip in a photo op or two with billionaire Virgin boss Richard Branson.
And with that exciting mission comes a new love in his life: Cosmic Girl.
The long-serving disc jock and CEO of online radio fetedaysiradio.com found himself in the right place at the right time and taps into his spiritual side to explain how the stars aligned so he could hitch his wagon to an entire constellation. DJ Squeeze told The Sunday Gleaner that he is full of gratitude to a relative who recommended him to be part of the flight ops team responsible for Branson’s space mission which, on Wednesday, June 30, saw a modified 747 jumbo jet, Cosmic Girl, successfully lifting a 70-foot rocket from the Mojave Air and Space Port and blasting it off in the air from under its left wing.
“It is important to note that Mr Branson had two flights into space recently from two of his companies: Virgin Galactic, which carries space tourists and Virgin Orbit, which launches missiles,” DJ Squeeze said. Branson himself was a passenger on the galactic mission, which generated huge press coverage globally.
The Jamaican disc jock is a member of the Orbit team. “I am a part of the flight ops team, which is responsible for maintaining and servicing the Cosmic Girl and doing everything for the jumbo jet. We maintain the plane from front to back and side to side and run the whole launching mechanism. Everything that we do is double and triple checked by the members of the team because this plane has the important job of taking the rocket into the air,” he elaborated.
Reports online say that seven satellites from three different countries – the US Defence Department, the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and Poland’s SatRevolution company – were deployed from the rocket. The mission was named ‘Tubular Bells: Part One’ and was the début of Virgin Orbit’s commercial satellite service. DJ Squeeze admitted that witnessing first-hand the Cosmic Girl taking off with the rocket carrying the satellite on board, knowing that he had played a role, was a goosebumps experience.
“It has humbled me,” he said slowly. “The usual way for these missions to space involves rockets launching vertically from the ground up, but Virgin Orbit launched a payload of satellites from the air. It was the perfect deployment. It was on time, and the separation went without any hiccups. A lot of safeguards were put in place, and the team worked extremely hard to ensure success. We had rehearsals, a lot of briefs, continuous question-and-answer sessions throughout. It was like a military operation, and our flight ops team was on our ‘A’ game, thanks to our team leader, Billy Rumzi.”
DJ Squeeze has been living in the Mojave Desert for the past five months, absorbing all the facets that come with the galactic mission. “It has been on-the-job training, but I can’t divulge the details of that training. My background in electronics was a plus. We work all different hours of the day and night. I chose to do a six-month stint, which means that I am housed by the company at a very nice hotel, I might add. But Billy [Rumzi] has over 35 years’ experience in aviation, and incidentally, his Jamaican wife, has been involved in aviation for 25 years,” he added.
The Cosmic Girl, the veteran selector, radioman, and party promoter said, has enough space to keep a big session, but that statement is not an invitation for fans to show up at the base. “Basically, it is gutted, and inside is huge. It can keep a big party. There is some electronic stuff inside the plane, but of course, I can’t go into details, and there is a pilot and co-pilot and other technical people,” he further revealed.
Actually, DJ Squeeze is still engaged in music while in the desert as he has his Orbit radio station right there in his hotel room. The station can be packed up neatly in its customised flight pack, and perhaps, one day, fans may just hear DJ Squeeze playing some wicked reggae and dancehall tunes from some nether galactic region, especially considering Branson’s link to the music industry.
It was in the record industry that the London-born entrepreneur made his initial fortune during the 1970s when as a 20-year-old, he established Virgin Records. The label got its big break with Tubular Bells, a 1973 album by the British musician Mike Oldfield, which sold millions of copies. Branson reportedly earned his first million pounds three years after setting up Virgin Records.
Although DJ Squeeze is intrigued by the idea of playing music among the twinkling stars, he stated: “Well, after 45 years in the industry, I might as well go to space with the music. It would be nice, but that is not on the forefront. My focus right now is to keep the Cosmic Girl safe and sound.”