Aug 23 (Reuters) - Billionaire Richard Branson"s Virgin Orbit is going public through a merger with a blank-check vehicle in a deal that values it at $3.2 billion and includes an investment from Boeing Co (BA.N), it said on Monday. The small satellite launch service provider"s deal with NextGen Acquisition Corp. II (NGCA.O) also includes a private investment in public equity (PIPE) of $100 million. Boeing and AE Industrial Partners participated in the PIPE round, besides other investors. Shares of NextGen were up 2.4% in premarket trading. Firefly, U.S.-New Zealand startup Rocket Lab, and Branson"s Virgin Orbit are seen as front-runners in a new breed of firms building miniaturized launch systems to cash in on the exponential growth of compact satellites, expected in the coming years.The deal with NextGen Acquisition is expected to provide $483 million in proceeds for the combined company. Virgin Orbit will list on the Nasdaq, post the closing of the merger, under the ticker symbol "VORB".