Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its first spaceflight in more than two years.
The company’s spacecraft, named VSS Unity, was carried up to an altitude of about 44,000 feet by a carrier aircraft called VMS Eve. The aircraft then released the spacecraft, which fired its rocket engine and accelerated to more than three times the speed of sound.
After performing a slow backflip in microgravity at the edge of space – reaching an altitude of 89.2 kilometers, or about 293,000 feet – Unity returned to Earth through the atmosphere. The spacecraft landed back at the runway of Spaceport America in New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft Unity is designed to hold up to six passengers along with two pilots. The company has about 600 reservations for tickets on future flights, sold at prices between $200,000 and $250,000 each.
The spaceflight is the company’s first since February 2019, its first in New Mexico, and its third to date. Virgin Galactic flew two spaceflight tests from its development facility in California’s Mojave Desert, before moving to its operational base at Spaceport America.
Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson was personally in attendance at the spaceport to watch the flight. Watching alongside him was former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson – who helped establish the $218.5 million Spaceport America as the company’s base of operations.
The company has two remaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) milestones it needs to clear to receive a key license for conducting regular spaceflights.
Shares of Virgin Galactic have climbed 22% over the past two trading days after the company announced plans for the spaceflight test, avoiding a possible maintenance issue that threatened to delay the flight.
The spaceflight is one of four remaining for Virgin Galactic to finish development of its SpaceShipTwo rocket system. The second spaceflight test will carry four passengers to test the spacecraft’s cabin, while the third test is planned to fly founder Sir Richard Branson.
The company’s test flight program has been delayed substantially over the past few months. Saturday’s spaceflight was a redo of a December attempt that was cut short by an electromagnetic interference issue.
Virgin Galactic’s promised beginning of commercial space travel has been pushed back from mid-2020 to early 2022.
Tech Insider
