SpaceShipTwo flies to the edge of space again
Posted: Sat, Feb 23, 2019, 5:29 PM ET (2229 GMT)
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle flew its highest flight to date Friday and the first to carry more than two people on board. VSS Unity, as the second SpaceShipTwo vehicle is named, was released from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft at 11:53 am EST (1653 GMT), about 45 minutes after taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. It fired its hybrid rocket engine for roughly one minute, flying to an altitude of 89.9 kilometers and top speed of Mach 3 before gliding back to a runway landing in Mojave at 12:08 pm EST (1708 GMT). At the controls of SpaceShipTwo were David Mackay, Virgin Galactic’s chief test pilot, and Mike "Sooch" Masucci. Also on board was Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut instructor, who evaluated aspects of the customer cabin and spaceflight environment as the company prepares to fly people. The flight was the first for SpaceShipTwo since its first flight above the 50-mile boundary where US government agencies award astronaut wings in December.
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle flew its highest flight to date Friday and the first to carry more than two people on board. VSS Unity, as the second SpaceShipTwo vehicle is named, was released from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft at 11:53 am EST (1653 GMT), about 45 minutes after taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. It fired its hybrid rocket engine for roughly one minute, flying to an altitude of 89.9 kilometers and top speed of Mach 3 before gliding back to a runway landing in Mojave at 12:08 pm EST (1708 GMT). At the controls of SpaceShipTwo were David Mackay, Virgin Galactic’s chief test pilot, and Mike "Sooch" Masucci. Also on board was Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut instructor, who evaluated aspects of the customer cabin and spaceflight environment as the company prepares to fly people. The flight was the first for SpaceShipTwo since its first flight above the 50-mile boundary where US government agencies award astronaut wings in December.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, August 1
Space Force outlines acquisition wins amid ongoing Department wide transformation at Air and Space Summit
US Space Force — 8:40 am ET (1240 GMT) Blue Origin continues rebuilding LC-36, prepares testing alternatives for New Glenn second stage
NasaSpaceFlight.com — 8:39 am ET (1239 GMT) Starbase Pad 1 Retrofits Progress as Block 3 Flights Start
NasaSpaceFlight.com — 8:38 am ET (1238 GMT) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon—and It Could Be Visible From Earth
Wired News — 8:37 am ET (1237 GMT) The High-Stakes Battle for Invisible Real Estate in Space
New York Times — 8:35 am ET (1235 GMT) |
