Posted: Wed, Nov 26, 2003, 7:45 AM ET (1245 GMT)
SpaceShipOne (SS1), the suborbital reusable spacecraft under development by Scaled Composites, made its sixth glide test late last week, the second such glide test in as many weeks. The test took place on Friday, November 19, and was reported on the Scaled web site earlier this week. The glide test was similar to the one performed the prior week, this time with Mike Melvill as the pilot. SS1 separated from its carrier aircraft, White Knight, at an altitude of about 14,600 meters and landed at Mojave Airport in California 12 and a half minutes later. One difference from prior flights is that the landing pattern was flown at a higher airspeed than past flights, allowing for a more controlled flare and landing. The company has offered no hints regarding when the project will start powered test flights, let alone make an actual bid to win the X Prize.

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