Virgin Galactic returns to the skies two years after fatal crash

Two years after a test flight ended in tragedy, private spaceflight firm Virgin Galactic has returned to flight. The second SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, called VSS Unity, went on a nearly four-hour flight over the California desert on 8 September.

The last time the firm tested a space plane, it broke up in mid-air, killing pilot Michael Alsbury and severely injuring pilot Pete Siebold. The crash was attributed to human error, as the craft’s drag-inducing “feather” wings were unlocked too soon.

The first SpaceShipTwo was built by Scaled Composites, based in Mojave. For the new model, Virgin Galactic took over responsibility for the vehicle, and has taken precautions to prevent the wings from unfolding too early again.

In its first flight test, VSS Unity took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port docked to its carrier mothership, WhiteKnightTwo.  The two remained docked for the entire 3 hour and 43 minute flight.

“In this configuration, WhiteKnightTwo serves as a veritable ‘flying wind tunnel,’ allowing the highest fidelity method of testing airflow around SpaceShipTwo while simultaneously testing how the spaceship performs when exposed to the frigid temperatures found at today’s maximum altitude of ~50,000 feet and above,” Virgin Galactic wrote in a blog post. Two pilots, Mark Stucky and Dave Mackay, sat in the spacecraft’s cockpit for the duration of the flight.

The company will now analyse data from the flight, and perhaps order more such “captive carry” tests before releasing SpaceShipTwo from WhiteKnightTwo and allowing it to glide back to the ground. Ultimately, they hope SpaceShipTwo will be able to fly under its own rocket power, taking off from the skies to reach the edge of space.