List of Virgin Galactic launches

Last updated
SpaceShipOne
SpaceShipOne Flight 15P photo Don Ramey Logan.jpg
SpaceShipOne after its flight into space, June 2004.
General information
Type Spaceplane
Manufacturer Scaled Composites
Designer
Primary user Mojave Aerospace Ventures
Number built1
History
First flight20 May 2003 (2003-05-20)
Retired4 October 2004 (2004-10-04)
Developed into SpaceShipTwo
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.
General information
TypePassenger spaceplane
National origin United States
Manufacturer Scaled Composites (1st aircraft)
The Spaceship Company
Primary user Virgin Galactic
Number built2
History
First flight10 October 2010 (first glide flight)
29 April 2013 (first powered flight)
13 December 2018 (first spaceflight)
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
General information
Type Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
Manufacturer Scaled Composites
StatusDestroyed
Owners Virgin Galactic
Construction number1
Registration N339SS
History
First flight10 October 2010 (crewed gliding flight) 29 April 2013 (powered flight)
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
General information
Type Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
Manufacturer The Spaceship Company
Owners Virgin Galactic
Construction number2
Registration N202VG [1]
History
First flight
In serviceRetired
FateRetired 8 June 2024
SpaceShip III
General information
TypeSuborbital air-launched passenger rocket-spaceplane
National originUnited States
Manufacturer The Spaceship Company
Designer Virgin Galactic
StatusUnder development
Primary user Virgin Galactic
Number built1
History
Manufacturedsince 2021
Introduction date2021
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 with 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 aircraftSpaceShipOne, 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

Human spaceflight programs have been conducted, started, or planned by multiple countries and companies. Until the 21st century, human spaceflight programs were sponsored exclusively by governments, through either the military or civilian space agencies. With the launch of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of human spaceflight programs – commercial human spaceflight – arrived. By the end of 2022, three countries and one private company (SpaceX) had successfully launched humans to Earth orbit, and two private companies had launched humans on a suborbital trajectory.

<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 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.

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

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.

<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 was used to lift the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) 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 was 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 has plans to sell spacecraft to other buyers.

SpaceShip III was 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, is a retired 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 an unflown SpaceShip III-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It was the first SpaceShip III to be ordered and built, and was intended to 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 had not yet flown. By June 2024, development of Imagine and VSS Inspire was canceled, with the intention of using the vehicles for ground testing and development for the successor Delta-class spacecraft.

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.

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.
  7. "Space Ship Completes 24th Test Flight in Mojave". Hispanic Business. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  8. "Virgin Galactic to Launch Passengers on Private Spaceship in 2013". SPACE.com. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  9. ""Virgin Galactic space tourism could begin in 2013"". BBC News. 26 October 2011.
  10. John Schwartz (23 January 2008). "New Tourist Spacecraft Unveiled". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
  11. Fly With Us Archived 12 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Virgin Galactic Retrieved 5 November 2015
  12. "Virgin spaceship aims to be science lab". BBC News. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  13. "FAA N Number Registration for "VSS Enterprise"". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  14. "Virgin Galactic to Offer Public Space Flights". Space.com. Associated Press. 27 September 2004. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  15. "Scaled Composites PROJECTS". Scaled.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  16. "SpaceShipTwo Roll Out". Virgingalactic.com. 8 December 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009.
  17. "SpaceShipTwo makes first powered flight". 3 News NZ. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  18. Chang, Kenneth; Schwartz, John (31 October 2014). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes in New Setback for Commercial Spaceflight". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  19. Foust, Jeff (31 October 2014). "SpaceShipTwo Destroyed in Fatal Test Flight Accident". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  20. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes During Flight Test". NBC News . 31 October 2014.
  21. Durden, Rick (31 October 2014). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes". AVweb. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  22. Chang, Kenneth (3 November 2014). "Investigators Focus on Tail Booms in Crash of Space Plane". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  23. Melley, Brian (3 November 2014). "Spaceship's descent device deployed prematurely". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  24. Klotz, Irene (3 November 2014). "SpaceShipTwo's Rocket Engine Did Not Cause Fatal Crash". Discovery News. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  25. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashes". 31 October 2014.
  26. @virgingalactic (19 February 2016). "Virgin Galactic announces new ship name" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  27. "New SpaceShipTwo Rollout Friday". AVweb. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  28. "Virgin Galactic unveils new space tourism rocket plane". CBC News. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  29. "New SpaceShipTwo Rollout Friday". AVweb. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  30. "Virgin Galactic unveils new space tourism rocket plane". CBC News . 19 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  31. "Virgin Galactic's new SpaceShipTwo gets off the ground, two years after fatal mishap". GeekWire. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  32. "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.
  33. Grush, Lauren (13 December 2018). "Virgin Galactic's spaceplane finally makes it to space for the first time". The Verge. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  34. Virgin Galactic [@VirginGalactic] (February 25, 2021). "The Future of the Fleet. Rollout, March 30th" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  35. Belfiore, Michael (2007). Rocketeers: how a visionary band of business leaders, engineers, and pilots is boldly privatizing space . New York: Smithsonian Books. p.  . ISBN   978-0-06-114903-0.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "SpaceShipOne Flight Tests". Scaled Composites. Archived from the original on 2010-08-22.
  37. Jefferson, Catherine A. "First Private Manned Space Flight". devsite.org. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2007.
  38. "SpaceShipTwo straps on its engine". NBC. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  39. "Space Ship Completes 24th Test Flight in Mojave". Hispanic Business. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  40. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes During Flight Test". NBC News . 31 October 2014.
  41. SpaceShipTwo (SS2) History, skyrocket.de
  42. "Virgin Galactic Breaks Speed of Sound in First Rocket-Powered Flight of SpaceShipTwo" (Press release). Virgin Galactic. 29 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  43. "SpaceShipTwo PF01: SS2 and WK2 preps underway". NewSpaceWatch.com. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  44. "Virgin Galactic Reaches New Heights in Third Supersonic Test Flight" (Press release). Virgin Galactic. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  45. "Virgin Galactic spaceship makes third powered test flight". Chicago Tribune. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  46. 1 2 Boyle, Alan (29 August 2014). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Glides Through a Dry Run". NBC News. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  47. Wall, Mike (8 October 2014). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Aces Glide Test Flight". Space.com. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  48. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Glides Through Test Run". NBC News. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  49. Klotz, Irene (3 November 2014). "Rocket plane's tail activated prematurely in fatal crash". Reuters . Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  50. Pope, Stephen (31 October 2014). "SpaceShipTwo crashes in Mojave Desert". flyingmag.com. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  51. "Virgin Galactic: SpaceShipTwo beginnt Flugerprobung". flugrevue.de. 13 September 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  52. "Virgin Galactic Postpones 1st Glide Test with New SpaceShipTwo". space.com. November 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  53. "Update from Mojave: Successful First Glide Flight Test for VSS Unity – Virgin Galactic". Virgin Galactic. 2016-12-03. Archived from the original on 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  54. "Bransons "VSS Unity" absolvierte ersten Gleitflug". krone.at. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  55. "Virgin Galactic spaceship makes first glide flight". phys.org. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  56. David Millward (4 December 2016). "Virgin Galactic's space programme moves forward as SpaceShipTwo carries out first successful glide test". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  57. Weston Williams (5 December 2016). "Space tourism: Virgin Galactic makes successful glide test". Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  58. Boyle, Alan (22 December 2016). "Virgin Galactic sneaks in just one more SpaceShipTwo glide test to cap off 2016". GeekWire. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  59. "Update from Mojave: First Feather Flight of VSS Unity Completed". Virgin Galactic. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  60. Wall, Mike (1 June 2017). "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Makes 5th 'Glide Flight' (Photos)". space.com. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  61. "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity edges closer to space". newatlas.com. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  62. "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity Flies with Propulsion Systems Installed and Live". Virgin Galactic. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  63. Camacho, Marian (11 January 2018). "SpaceShip Two test flight a success". kob.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  64. Krishna, Swapna (11 January 2018). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is almost ready for powered tests". engadget.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  65. "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity successfully completes high speed glide flight". virgingalactic.com. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  66. Wall, Mike (11 January 2018). "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Soars on 7th Glide Flight (Photo)". space.com. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  67. Sheetz, Michael (5 April 2018). "Virgin Galactic completes first rocket powered, supersonic flight of new spacecraft Unity". cnbc.com. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  68. "The second powered flight of Virgin Galactic's spaceplane featured extra passenger seats". theverge.com. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  69. "Second SpaceShipTwo makes second powered test flight – SpaceNews.com". spacenews.com. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  70. Wall, Mike (29 May 2018). "Success! Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Space Plane Aces 2nd Powered Test Flight". space.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  71. 1 2 "Into the Mesosphere at Mach 2". Virgin Galactic. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  72. Boyle, Alan (26 July 2018). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane sails through third supersonic flight". geekwire.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  73. Weitering, Hanneke (26 July 2018). "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Space Plane Aces Test Flight, Reaching Mesosphere for the 1st Time". Space.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  74. Grush, Lauren (13 December 2018). "Virgin Galactic's spaceplane finally makes it to space for the first time". theverge.com. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  75. "Branson's Virgin Galactic successfully reaches space". BBC. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  76. 1 2 3 4 "Virgin Galactic". www.virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  77. Bartels, Meghan (22 February 2019). "Virgin Galactic Reaches Space Again, Flies Test Passenger for 1st Time". space.com. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  78. 1 2 3 4 "Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipTwo Completes First Flight From Spaceport America". www.virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  79. 1 2 3 "Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipTwo Completes Second Flight From Spaceport America". www.virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  80. Gebhardt, Chris; Burghardt, Thomas (12 December 2020). "VSS Unity aborts after engine start, safely lands with crew back at Spaceport America".
  81. "Virgin Galactic rocket plane flies to edge of space". BBC News. 22 May 2021.
  82. "Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes First Fully Crewed Spaceflight". 11 July 2021.
  83. "Virgin Galactic completes glide flight from Spaceport America". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 26 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  84. "Virgin Galactic completes successful spaceflight". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  85. "Virgin Galactic completes Unity 25 spaceflight in key final test before commercial service". CNBC News. 25 May 2023.
  86. Jonathan McDowell [@planet4589] (29 June 2023). "Galactic 01 stats: launch 1528:38 UTC, apogee 85.1 km, flight time from drop to main gear touchdown 13m50s. Drop location EBR P3 in my launch points list (107.0W 33.3N)" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  87. Jonathan McDowell [@planet4589] (10 August 2023). "I don't quite agree with these numbers. I have takeoff of White Knight 2 at 1429:45 UTC (in agreement with their 8.30 am MDT) but landing of SS2 at 1532:48 UTC (9.32 am MDT). Release time 1517:10 UTC and SS2 free flight time 15:38 with apogee 88.5 km" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  88. "Core memory unlocked. Welcome to space, #Galactic03. Congratulations, 014, 015, and 016!". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  89. "Virgin Galactic completes fifth successful flight in five months". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  90. "Virgin Galactic Completes Sixth Successful Spaceflight in Six Months". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 2 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.