List of Virgin Galactic launches

Last updated
SpaceShipOne
SpaceShipOne Flight 15P photo Don Ramey Logan.jpg
SpaceShipOne after its flight into space, June 2004.
Role Spaceplane
Manufacturer Scaled Composites
Designer Burt Rutan
First flight20 May 2003 (2003-05-20)
Retired4 October 2004 (2004-10-04)
Primary user Mojave Aerospace Ventures
Number built1
Developed into SpaceShipTwo
Career
Preserved at National Air and Space Museum
SpaceShipTwo
SS2 and VMS Eve.jpg
SpaceShipTwo (central fuselage) carried under its twin fuselage mother ship, White Knight Two.
RolePassenger spaceplane
National origin United States
Manufacturer Scaled Composites (1st aircraft)
The Spaceship Company
First flight10 October 2010 (first glide flight)
29 April 2013 (first powered flight)
13 December 2018 (first spaceflight)
Primary user Virgin Galactic
Number built2
Developed from Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne
Developed into The Spaceship Company SpaceShip III
VSS Enterprise (N339SS)
SpaceShip 2 VSS Enterprise.jpg
VSS Enterprise, the first SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, attached to its carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo VMS Eve
Type Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
Manufacturer Scaled Composites
Construction number1
RegistrationN339SS
First flight10 October 2010 (crewed gliding flight)

29 April 2013 (powered flight)

Owners and operators Virgin Galactic
StatusDestroyed
Fate Crashed
31 October 2014
VSS Unity
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo "Unity" rollout 19Feb2016, FAITH hangar, Mojave, California.jpg
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity rollout, 19 February 2016, FAITH hangar, Mojave, California
Type Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
Manufacturer The Spaceship Company
Construction number2
RegistrationN202VG [1]
First flight
Owners and operators Virgin Galactic
In serviceRetired
FateRetired 8 June 2024
SpaceShip III
RoleSuborbital air-launched passenger rocket-spaceplane
National originUnited States
Manufacturer The Spaceship Company
Design group Virgin Galactic
Introduction2021
StatusUnder development
Primary user Virgin Galactic
Producedsince 2021
Number built1
Developed from SpaceShipTwo

The following is a list of Virgin Galactic launches since 2003.

Contents

Virgin Galactic launch

The Virgin Galactic series of vehicles, starting with SpaceShipOne, are more comparable to the X-15 than orbiting spacecraft like the Space Shuttle. Accelerating a spacecraft to orbital speed requires more than 60 times as much energy as accelerating it to Mach 3. It would also require an elaborate heat shield to safely dissipate that energy during re-entry. [3]

SpaceShipOne

Although not a Virgin Galactic launcher, SpaceShipOne was the direct predecessor of the Virgin Galactic vehicles, and served to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. SpaceShipOne was an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design featured a unique "feathering" atmospheric reentry system where the rear half of the wing and the twin tail booms folds 70 degrees upward along a hinge running the length of the wing; this increases drag while retaining stability. SpaceShipOne completed the first crewed private spaceflight in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million Ansari X Prize and was immediately retired from active service. Its mother ship was named "White Knight". Both craft were developed and flown by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, which was a joint venture between Paul Allen and Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.

Rutan has indicated that ideas about the project began as early as 1994 and the full-time development cycle time to the 2004 accomplishments was about three years.[ citation needed ] The vehicle first achieved supersonic flight on December 17, 2003, which was also the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first powered flight. SpaceShipOne's first official spaceflight, known as flight 15P, was piloted by Mike Melvill. A few days before that flight, the Mojave Air and Space Port was the first commercial spaceport licensed in the United States. A few hours after that flight, Melvill became the first licensed U.S. commercial astronaut. The overall project name was "Tier One" which has evolved into Tier 1b with a goal of taking a successor ship's first passengers into space.

SpaceShipOne's official model designation is Scaled Composites Model 316.

SpaceShipTwo

The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) was an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It was manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.

SpaceShipTwo was carried to its launch altitude by a White Knight Two aircraft, before being released to fly on into the upper atmosphere, powered by its rocket engine. It then glided back to Earth and performed a conventional runway landing. [4] The spaceship was officially unveiled to the public on 7 December 2009 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. [5] On 29 April 2013, after nearly three years of unpowered testing, the first one constructed successfully performed its first powered test flight. [6]

Virgin Galactic planned to operate a fleet of five SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes in a private passenger-carrying service. [7] [8] [9] [10] Virgin Galactic took bookings for many years, with a suborbital flight ticket price rising quite heavily throughout the years. [11] The spaceplane was also used to carry scientific payloads for NASA and other organizations. [12]

VSS Enterprise

VSS Enterprise (tail number: N339SS [13] ) was the first SpaceShipTwo (SS2) spaceplane, built by Scaled Composites for Virgin Galactic. As of 2004, it was planned to be the first of five commercial suborbital SS2 spacecraft planned by Virgin Galactic. [14] [15] [ needs update ] It was also the first ship of the Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo class, based on upscaling the design of the record-breaking SpaceShipOne.

The VSS Enterprise's name was an acknowledgement of the USS Enterprise from the Star Trek television series. The spaceplane also shared its name with NASA's prototype Space Shuttle orbiter, as well as the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was rolled out on 7 December 2009. [16]

SpaceShipTwo made its first powered flight in April 2013. Richard Branson said it "couldn't have gone more smoothly". [17]

On 31 October 2014, during a test flight, the first SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise broke up in flight and crashed in the Mojave desert. [18] [19] [20] [21] A preliminary investigation suggested that the craft's descent device deployed too early. [22] [23] One pilot, Michael Alsbury, was killed; the other was treated for a serious shoulder injury after parachuting from the stricken spacecraft. [24] [25]

VSS Unity

VSS Unity (Virgin Space Ship Unity, Registration: N202VG), previously referred to as VSS Voyager, was a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It was the second SpaceShipTwo-spacecraft to be built and was used as part of the Virgin Galactic fleet.

VSS Unity [26] was unveiled on 19 February 2016. [27] [28] [29] [30] The spacecraft completed ground-based system integration testing in September 2016, [31] after which the vehicle flew its first test flight also in September 2016. [32] Its first flight to space (above 50 miles altitude), VSS Unity VP03, took place on 13 December 2018. [33] It flew its final test flight (that is, final flight wth only Virgin Galactic personnel onboard), Unity 25, on 25 May 2023. It flew its first operational flight (that is, flight carrying passengers that were not Virgin Galactic employees), Galactic 01, on 29 June 2023. It flew its last flight, Galactic 07, on 8 June 2024, after which it was retired.

SpaceShipThree

SpaceShip III (SS3, also with Roman numeral III; formerly SpaceShipThree) is an upcoming class of spaceplanes by Virgin Galactic to follow SpaceShipTwo. It was first teased on the Virgin Galactic Twitter account on 25 February 2021 announcing the rollout of the first SpaceShip III plane on 30 March 2021. [34]

Launch Statistics

Rocket

Outcome

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
'03
'04
'10
'11
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24
  •   Success
  •   Failure

Flight type

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
'03
'04
'10
'11
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24
  •   Glide flight
  •   Captive carry flight
  •   Cold flow flight
  •   Powered flight

Flights

SpaceShipOne Flights

On 17 December 2003—on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers first powered flight of an aircraft—SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie on Flight 11P, made its first rocket-powered flight and became the first privately built craft to achieve supersonic flight. [35] : 8 

SpaceShipOne landing SpaceShipOne on touch down photo D Ramey Logan.jpg
SpaceShipOne landing

All of the flights of SpaceShipOne were from the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center. Flights were numbered, starting with flight 01 on May 20, 2003. One or two letters are appended to the number to indicate the type of mission. An appended C indicates that the flight was a captive carry, G indicates an unpowered glide, and P indicates a powered flight. If the actual flight differs in category from the intended flight, two letters are appended: the first indicating the intended mission and the second the mission actually performed.

SpaceShipOne flights
FlightDateTop speedAltitudeDurationPilot
01CMay 20, 200314.63 km [36] 1 h 48 minuncrewed
02CJuly 29, 200314 km2 h 06 min Mike Melvill
03GAugust 7, 2003278 km/h14.33 km [36] 19 min 00 s Mike Melvill
04GCAugust 27, 2003370 km/h [36] 14 km1 h 06 min Mike Melvill
05GAugust 27, 2003370 km/h14.69 km [36] 10 min 30 s Mike Melvill
06GSeptember 23, 2003213 km/h14.26 km [36] 12 min 15 s Mike Melvill
07GOctober 17, 2003241 km/h14.08 km [36] 17 min 49 s Mike Melvill
08GNovember 14, 2003213 km/h14.42 km [36] 19 min 55 s Peter Siebold
09GNovember 19, 2003213 km/h14.72 km [36] 12 min 25 s Mike Melvill
10GDecember 4, 2003213 km/h14.75 km [36] 13 min 14 s Brian Binnie
11P December 17, 2003 Mach 1.220.67 km [36] 18 min 10 s Brian Binnie
12GMarch 11, 2004232 km/h14.78 km [36] 18 min 30 s Peter Siebold
13P April 8, 2004Mach 1.632.00 km [36] 16 min 27 s Peter Siebold
14P May 13, 2004Mach 2.564.43 km [36] 20 min 44 s Mike Melvill
15P June 21, 2004Mach 2.9100.124 km [36] 24 min 05 s Mike Melvill
16P September 29, 2004Mach 2.92102.93 km [36] 24 min 11 s Mike Melvill
17P October 4, 2004Mach 3.09112.014 km [36] 23 min 56 s Brian Binnie
SpaceShipOne ranks among the world's first spaceplanes in the first 50 years of human spaceflight, with the North American X-15, Space Shuttle, Buran, and Boeing X-37. SpaceShipOne is the second spaceplane to have launched from a mother ship, preceded only by the North American X-15. The World's First Five Spaceplanes.png BuranSpaceShipOne
SpaceShipOne ranks among the world's first spaceplanes in the first 50 years of human spaceflight, with the North American X-15, Space Shuttle, Buran, and Boeing X-37. SpaceShipOne is the second spaceplane to have launched from a mother ship, preceded only by the North American X-15.

The flights were accompanied by two chase planes—an Extra 300 owned and flown by Chuck Coleman, and a Beechcraft Starship. [37]

SpaceShipTwo

VSS Enterprise flights

Sources: [38] [39] [40] [41]

Legend
CodeDetail
GFxxGlide Flight
CCxxCaptive Carry Flight
CFxxCold Flow Flight
PFxxPowered Flight
FxxFeathering deployed
Flights
Flight designationDateDurationMaximum altitudeTop speedPilot / co-pilotNotes
41 / GF0110 October 201013 min46,000 feet (14,000 m)180 knots (210 mph; 330 km/h) EAS 2 g Siebold / Alsbury
44 / GF0228 October 201010 min, 51 sec230 knots (260 mph; 430 km/h) EAS 3 g Stucky / Alsbury
45 / GF0317 November 201011 min, 39 sec246 knots (283 mph; 456 km/h) EAS 3.5 gSiebold / Nichols
47 / GF0413 January 201111 min, 34 sec250 knots (290 mph; 460 km/h) EAS 3.8 gStucky / Nichols
56 / GF0522 April 201114 min, 31 secSiebold / Shane
57 / GF0627 April 201116 min, 7 secStucky / Alsbury
58 / GF074 May 201111 min, 5 sec51,500 feet (15,700 m)15,500 feet per minute (4,700 m/min)Siebold / NicholsF01
59 / GF0810 May 201113 min, 2 secStucky / Shane
60 / GF0919 May 201111 min, 32 secSiebold / Binnie
61 / GF1025 May 201110 min, 14 secAbove 50,000 feet (15,000 m)Stucky / BinnieF02
62 / (CC12)9 June 2011Siebold / ShaneRelease failure during flight intended as GF11
64 / GF1114 June 201113 min, 18 secSiebold / Shane
65 / GF1215 June 201110 min, 32 secStucky / Nichols
66 / GF1321 June 20118 min, 55 secSiebold / Nichols
67 / GF1423 June 20117 min, 33 secStucky / Nichols
68 / GF1527 June 20117 min, 39 secSiebold / Binnie
73 / GF1629 September 20117 min, 15 secStucky / Nichols / PersallF03
87 / GF1726 June 201211 min, 22 secSiebold / Alsbury
88 / GF1829 June 201213 minStucky / Mackay
90 / GF1918 July 201210 min, 39 secSiebold / Nichols
91 / GF202 August 20128 minStucky / NicholsF04
92 / GF217 August 20129 min, 52 secSiebold / ColmerF05
93 / GF2211 August 20128 min, 2 secStucky / Binnie
109 / GF2319 December 201213 min, 24 secStucky / Alsbury
113 / GF243 April 20139 minStucky / NicholsF06
114 / CF0112 April 201310 min, 48 secStucky / Alsbury
115 / PF01 [42] [43] 29 April 201313 min56,000 feet (17,000 m)Mach 1.22Stucky / Alsbury
130 / GF2525 July 201311 min, 52 secStucky / Mackay
131 / GF268 August 201310 minStucky / MackayF07
132 / PF025 September 201314 min69,000 feet (21,000 m)Mach 1.43Stucky / NicholsF08
141 / GF2711 December 2013.11 minStucky / Masucci
147 / PF0310 January 201412 min, 43 sec72,000 feet (22,000 m) [44] Mach 1.4Mackay / Stucky [45] F09
149 / GF2817 January 201414 min, 12 secSiebold / Sturckow
156 / GF29 [46] 29 July 201412 minMasucci / Siebold
164 / CF02 [46] 28 August 201413 minSiebold / Alsbury
170 / GF30 [47] 7 October 201410 min, 30 secSiebold / Sturckow [48] F10
?? / PF04 31 October 20140 min, 13 secroughly 50,000 feet (15,000 m) [49]  ? (at least Mach 0.92)Siebold / Alsbury [50] Unintended feathering destroys vehicle in-flight

VSS Unity flights

Legend
CodeDetail
GFxxGlide Flight
CCxxCaptive Carry Flight
CFxxCold Flow Flight
PFxxPowered Flight
FxxFeathering deployed
Flights
Flight designationDateDurationMaximum altitudeTop speedPilot / co-pilot / passengersNotes
01 / CC018 September 201615.2 km (50,000 ft) Stucky / Mackay [51]
02 / CC021 November 2016Strong winds, no release during flight intended as GF01 [52]
03 / CC033 November 2016Strong winds, no release during second attempt at GF01
04 / CC0430 November 2016Test of minor modifications
05 / GF013 December 201610 minutes [53] 16.8 km (55,000 ft)Mach 0.6Stucky / MackayFirst Glide Flight [54] [55] [56] [57]
06 / GF0222 December 2016Stucky / Mackay [58]
07 / GF0324 February 2017 Sturckow / Mackay3rd Glide Flight
08 / GF041 May 2017Stucky / MasucciF01 [59]
09 / CF011 June 2017Mackay / Sturckow [60]
10 / GF064 August 2017Mackay / SturckowFirst flight with major propulsion components aboard. [61] [62]
11 / GF0711 January 2018Mach 0.9Stucky / Masucci [63] [64] [65] [66]
12 / PF015 April 201825.7 km (84,300 ft)Mach 1.87Stucky / MackayF02 [67]
13 / PF0229 May 201834.9 km (114,501 ft) [68] [69] Mach 1.9Mackay / StuckyTest of changed center of gravity as passenger seats carried for first time. F03 [70]
14 / PF0326 July 201852.1 km (170,800 ft) [71] Mach 2.47 [71] Mackay / Masucci [72] Reached Mesosphere for first time. [73]
15 / VP-03 13 December 201882.7 km (271,330 ft)Mach 2.9 [74] Stucky / SturckowReached outer space for first time according to the US definition of the space border. [75]
16 / VF-01 22 February 201989.9 km (295,007 ft) [76] [77] Mach 3.04 [76] Mackay / Masucci / Moses [76] Carried third crew member (1 in the passenger cabin) for the first time [76]
17 / GF081 May 202015.24 km (50,000 ft) [78] Mach 0.7 [78] Mackay / Sturckow [78] First flight from New Mexico [78]
18 / GF0925 June 202015.54 km (51,000 ft) [79] Mach 0.85 [79] Stucky / Masucci [79]
1912 December 2020Mackay / SturckowFirst attempted crewed spaceflight from New Mexico, aborted due to computer malfunction, engine ignited and automatically turned off. [80]
21 / VF-03 22 May 202189.23 km (55.45 mi)Mackay / SturckowFirst crewed spaceflight (above 50 miles) from New Mexico [81]
22 11 July 202186.1 km (53.5 mi) [82] Mackay / Masucci / Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses, Richard BransonFirst fully crewed [note 1] flight included Richard Branson.
24 / GF1026 April 20239 minutes13.5 km (47,000 ft)Sturckow / Pecile [83]
25 25 May 202314 minutes87.2 km (54.2 mi)Mach 2.94Masucci / Sturckow / Moses / Mays / Gilbert / Huie [84] [85]
Galactic 01 29 June 202313:50 minutes85.1 km (52.9 mi)Mach 2.88Masucci / Pecile / Villadei / Carlucci / Pandolfi / BennettFirst VSS Unity commercial service flight, carrying members of the Italian Air Force. [86]
Galactic 02 10 August 202315:38 minutes88.5 km (55.0 mi)Mach 3.00Sturckow / Latimer / Moses / Goodwin / Schahaff / MayersFirst VSS Unity flight carrying a private astronaut. [87]
Galactic 03 8 September 202312:37 minutes88.6 km (55.1 mi)Mach 2.95Masucci / Pecile / Moses / Baxter / Reynard / Nash [88]
Galactic 04 6 October 202314:23 minutes87.4 km (54.3 mi)Mach 2.95Latimer / Sturckow / Moses / Rosano / Beattie / Salim [89]
Galactic 05 2 November 202314:20 minutes87.2 km (54.2 mi)Mach 2.96Masucci / Latimer / Bennett / Stern / Gerardi / Maisonrouge [90]
Galactic 06 26 January 202488.8 km (55.2 mi)Mach 2.98Sturckow / Pecile / Borozdina / Vaughn / Haider / Kornswiet
Galactic 07 8 June 202487.5 km (54.4 mi)Mach 2.96Pecile / Janjua / Atasever/ Manenti /Pergament / SadhwaniFinal Unity flight

Notes

  1. ↑ The SpaceShipTwo vehicles (like VSS Unity) were originally designed for 8 people, 6 passengers and 2 pilots, so whether this flight was fully-crewed is debatable. But it is true that at the time of this flight, only 6 seats (4 passengers, 2 pilots) were installed in VSS Unity, so in this sense this flight was fully-crewed. Also, no SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Unity in particular, ever had more than 6 seats installed and never flew with more than 6 people (2 pilots, 4 passengers) onboard, so in this sense this flight was also fully-crewed.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceShipOne</span> American experimental spaceplane

SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (2,000 mph) / 910 m/s (3,300 km/h) using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique "feathering" atmospheric reentry system where the rear half of the wing and the twin tail booms folds 70 degrees upward along a hinge running the length of the wing; this increases drag while retaining stability. SpaceShipOne completed the first crewed private spaceflight in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million Ansari X Prize and was immediately retired from active service. Its mother ship was named "White Knight". Both craft were developed and flown by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, which was a joint venture between Paul Allen and Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Galactic</span> Space tourism company

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a British-American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group conglomerate which retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and operates from New Mexico. The company develops commercial spacecraft and provides suborbital spaceflights to space tourists. Virgin Galactic's suborbital spacecraft are air launched from beneath a carrier airplane known as White Knight Two. Virgin Galactic's maiden spaceflight occurred in 2018 with its VSS Unity spaceship. Branson had originally hoped to see a maiden spaceflight by 2010, but the date was repeatedly delayed, primarily due to the October 2014 crash of VSS Enterprise.

Mojave Aerospace Ventures (MAV) is a company founded by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan to handle the commercial spinoffs from the Tier One project. It owns the intellectual property arising from Tier One, and it is in turn owned by Allen and Rutan's Scaled Composites. In 2004, it signed a deal with Virgin Galactic to develop the Virgin SpaceShip, a suborbital spacecraft, for space tourism. Virgin Group and Scaled Composites have subsequently formed a joint venture, The Spaceship Company, to manufacture the spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air launch</span>

Air launching is the practice of releasing a rocket, missile, parasite aircraft or other aircraft payload from a mother ship or launch aircraft. The payload craft or missile is often tucked under the wing of the larger mother ship and then "dropped" while in flight. It may also be stored within a bomb bay, beneath the main fuselage or even on the back of the carrier aircraft, as in the case of the D-21 drone. Air launching provides several advantages over ground launching, giving the smaller craft an altitude and range boost, while saving it the weight of the fuel and equipment needed to take off on its own.

VSS<i> Enterprise</i> SpaceShipTwo (SS2) spaceplane

VSS Enterprise was the first SpaceShipTwo (SS2) spaceplane, built by Scaled Composites for Virgin Galactic. As of 2004, it was planned to be the first of five commercial suborbital SS2 spacecraft planned by Virgin Galactic. It was also the first ship of the Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo class, based on upscaling the design of record-breaking SpaceShipOne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceShipTwo</span> Suborbital spaceplane for space tourism

The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It is manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaled Composites White Knight Two</span> SpaceShipTwo mother ship

The Scaled Composites Model 348 White Knight Two (WK2) is a quadjet cargo aircraft that is used to lift the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft to release altitude. It was developed by Scaled Composites from 2007 to 2010 as the first stage of Tier 1b, a two-stage to suborbital-space crewed launch system. WK2 is based on the successful mothership to SpaceShipOne, White Knight, which itself is based on Proteus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Spaceship Company</span> Spacecraft manufacturing company

The Spaceship Company (TSC) is a British/American spacecraft manufacturing company that was founded by Burt Rutan and Richard Branson in mid-2005 and was jointly owned by Virgin Group (70%) and Scaled Composites (30%) until 2012 when Virgin Galactic became the sole owner. TSC was formed to own the technology created by Scaled for Virgin Galactic's Virgin SpaceShip program. This includes developments on the care-free reentry system and cantilevered-hybrid rocket motor, licensed from Paul Allen and Burt Rutan's Mojave Aerospace. The company is manufacturing Virgin Galactic's spacecraft and will sell spacecraft to other buyers. The suborbital launch system offered will include the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft and the White Knight Two carrier aircraft.

SpaceShip III is an upcoming class of spaceplanes by Virgin Galactic to follow SpaceShipTwo. It was first teased on the Virgin Galactic Twitter account on 25 February 2021 announcing the rollout of the first SpaceShip III plane on 30 March 2021.

VSS <i>Unity</i> American commercial sub-orbitable space ship


VSS Unity, previously referred to as VSS Voyager, was a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It was the second SpaceShipTwo to be built and was part of the Virgin Galactic fleet. It first reached space as defined by the United States on 13 December 2018, on the VP-03 mission.

RocketMotorTwo (RM2) is a family of hybrid rocket engines developed for the Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane.

VSS <i>Enterprise</i> crash Inflight break-up of VSS Enterprise

The VSS Enterprise crash occurred on October 31, 2014, when the VSS Enterprise, a SpaceShipTwo experimental spaceflight test vehicle operated by Virgin Galactic, suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup during a test flight and crashed in the Mojave Desert near Cantil, California. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed and pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured.

VSS <i>Unity</i> VP-03 First SpaceShipTwo spaceflight

VP-03 was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity which took place on 13 December 2018, piloted by Mark P. Stucky and co-piloted by Frederick W. "CJ" Sturckow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark P. Stucky</span> American astronaut

Mark P. "Forger" Stucky is an American test pilot and commercial astronaut. In these roles, he was an employee of Virgin Galactic, a private spaceflight company which is developing sub-orbital space tourism flights.

VSS <i>Unity</i> VF-01 2019 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight

VF-01 was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity that took place on 22 February 2019, piloted by David Mackay and co-piloted by Mike Masucci. It was operated by Virgin Galactic, a private company led by Richard Branson that intends to conduct space tourism flights in the future. Following VSS Unity VP-03, VF-01 was a demonstration of the craft's ability to carry passengers. Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut trainer Beth Moses acted as a test passenger, evaluating the experience for potential customers.

VSSImagine, is a SpaceShip III class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It is the first SpaceShip III to be built and will be used as part of the Virgin Galactic fleet. The spacecraft was rolled out 30 March 2021 and was planned to undergo ground and glide testing during summer 2021. As of January 2024, it has not yet flown.

Virgin Galactic <i>Unity</i> 22 2021 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight

Virgin Galactic Unity 22 was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity which launched on 11 July 2021. The crew consisted of pilots David Mackay and Michael Masucci as well as passengers Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses, and Richard Branson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galactic 01</span> 2023 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight

Galactic 01, previously referred to as Unity 23, was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity which launched on 29 June 2023. The launch was the first commercial spaceflight for Virgin Galactic. A research mission for the Italian Air Force, the crew consisted of pilots Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile as well as crew members Colin Bennett, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, and Pantaleone Carlucci. The flight was postponed from its original planned October 2021 flight date for Virgin Galactic to upgrade its SpaceShipTwo vehicles.

Virgin Galactic <i>Unity</i> 25 2023 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight

Virgin Galactic Unity 25 was a sub-orbital spaceflight by Virgin Galactic that took place on 25 May 2023. The flight used their SpaceShipTwo spaceplane VSS Unity. The crew consisted of six Virgin Galactic employees. Unity 25 was the first spaceflight for the company since Unity 22 in 2021, when founder Richard Branson flew to space.

References

  1. ↑ Irene Klotz (5 November 2014). "New spaceship restoring hope after Virgin Galactic crash". SpaceDaily. Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity's First Flight Test Completed – Virgin Galactic". virgingalactic.com. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Hoffman, Carl (22 May 2007). "Elon Musk Is Betting His Fortune on a Mission Beyond Earth's Orbit". Wired . Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  4. ↑ "sRLV platforms compared". NASA. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2011. SpaceShipTwo: Type: HTHL/PilotedPD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. ↑ Amos, Jonathan (8 December 2009). "Richard Branson unveils Virgin Galactic spaceplane". BBC News. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  6. ↑ "Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceship ignites engine in flight". BBC News. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
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