SpaceShipTwo (SS2) successfully completes all of the technical mission phases -
in a single flight, for the first time - and company confirms it’s on track to commence
its commercial service in 2014 MOJAVE, California was the centre of great excitement,
when Virgin Galactic - the world’s first commercial space-line owned by Sir Richard
Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi's aabar Investments PJS - successfully completed
their second rocket-powered, supersonic flight of the passenger carrying, reusable
space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo (SS2).
In addition to achieving the highest altitude
and greatest speed to date, the test flight demonstrated, for the first time in
a single flight, the vehicle’s full technical mission profile, including a high
altitude deployment of the unique wing “feathering” re-entry mechanism.
“We couldn’t
be more delighted to have another major supersonic milestone under our belts as
we move toward a 2014 start of commercial service,” said Virgin Galactic Founder
Sir Richard Branson. “It was particularly thrilling to see, for the first time today,
the whole elegant system in action during a single flight, including the remarkable
feathering re-entry system. It was this safety feature more than anything else that
originally persuaded us that the overall design of the system was uniquely fit for
purpose. Everything we have seen today just confirms that view. Congratulations
to all involved!”
At approximately 8am local time, the company’s WhiteKnightTwo
(WK2) carrier aircraft took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port, carrying SS2
to an altitude of 46,000 feet. Virgin Galactic Chief Pilot Dave Mackay was at the
WK2 controls, assisted by Scaled Composites (Scaled) co-pilot Mike Alsbury and The
Spaceship Company Flight Test Engineer, Scott Glaser.
Upon release from WK2, SS2
pilots Mark Stucky and Clint Nichols, (both of Scaled), ignited the rocket motor
for the planned 20-second burn, propelling the spaceship to 69,000 feet. During
this time, SS2 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 1.43, landing in Mojave at 9:25am
local time, with the pilots reporting a “flawless flight”.
“Today, we expanded the
SpaceShipTwo rocket-powered flight test envelope with a longer burn duration and
more robust testing of the feather mechanism, supersonic aerodynamics and wing lift
structure,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. “Each powered flight of
SpaceShipTwo yields cumulative progress that builds the foundation for safe and
exciting commercial space flights.”
Chairman of aabar Investments PJS, H.E. Khadem
Al Qubaisi, commented:“This flight milestone represents a key step forward for the
Virgin Galactic team. The successful completion of all major aspects of the flight
mission demonstrates that we are very close to achieving one of Galactic’s key goals:
commercialising access to space for the public. I would like to congratulate the
whole team on their continued success.”
Sir Richard Branson was thrilled to witness the first rocket-powered flight of Virgin
Galactic’s space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo (SS2). The test took place on Monday 29 April
and was conducted by teams from Scaled Composites (the company that built SS2 for
Virgin Galactic), Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline owned
by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s aabar Investments PJS, successfully
completing their year-end goal for spaceflight and officially marking the beginning
of the company’s final phase of testing, prior to operating a commercial service
from Spaceport America, New Mexico. Reporting on the event, Sir Richard Branson
said: “The first powered flight of Virgin Spaceship Enterprise was without any doubt,
our single most important flight test to date. For the first time, we were able
to prove the key components of the system, fully integrated and in flight. Today’s
supersonic success opens the way for a rapid expansion of the spaceship’s powered
flight envelope, with a very realistic goal of full space flight by the year’s end.
We saw history in the making today and I couldn’t be more proud of everyone involved.”
Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline, announced today that its
vehicle developer, Scaled Composites has been granted an experimental launch permit
from the Federal Aviation Administration for its suborbital spacecraft, SpaceshipTwo,
and the carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo. They have already made progress with their
flight test program, with 80 test flights successfully completed.
Today Virgin Galactic announced another great achievement when they confirmed that
they have just booked their 500th passenger/astronaut - Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher!!
Sir Richard Branson called Ashton to congratulate and welcome him. He is as thrilled
as they are at the prospect of being among the first to cross the final frontier
(and back!) with Virgin Galactic and to experience the magic of space for himself.
VIRGIN GALACTIC’S SECOND SUPERSONIC FLIGHT SUCCESSFULLY TESTS SPACESHIPTWO’S UNIQUE
FEATHER MECHANISM
SpaceShipTwo (SS2) successfully completes all of the technical
mission phases - in a single flight, for the first time - and company confirms it’s
on track to commence its commercial service in 2014 MOJAVE, California was the centre
of great excitement, when Virgin Galactic - the world’s first commercial space-line
owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi's aabar Investments PJS
- successfully completed their second rocket-powered, supersonic flight of the passenger
carrying, reusable space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo (SS2). In addition to achieving the
highest altitude and greatest speed to date, the test flight demonstrated, for the
first time in a single flight, the vehicle’s full technical mission profile, including
a high altitude deployment of the unique wing “feathering” re-entry mechanism. “We
couldn’t be more delighted to have another major supersonic milestone under our
belts as we move toward a 2014 start of commercial service,” said Virgin Galactic
Founder Sir Richard Branson. “It was particularly thrilling to see, for the first
time today, the whole elegant system in action during a single flight, including
the remarkable feathering re-entry system. It was this safety feature more than
anything else that originally persuaded us that the overall design of the system
was uniquely fit for purpose. Everything we have seen today just confirms that view.
Congratulations to all involved!” At approximately 8am local time, the company’s
WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port,
carrying SS2 to an altitude of 46,000 feet. Virgin Galactic Chief Pilot Dave Mackay
was at the WK2 controls, assisted by Scaled Composites (Scaled) co-pilot Mike Alsbury
and The Spaceship Company Flight Test Engineer, Scott Glaser. Upon release from
WK2, SS2 pilots Mark Stucky and Clint Nichols, (both of Scaled), ignited the rocket
motor for the planned 20-second burn, propelling the spaceship to 69,000 feet. During
this time, SS2 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 1.43, landing in Mojave at 9:25am
local time, with the pilots reporting a “flawless flight”. “Today, we expanded the
SpaceShipTwo rocket-powered flight test envelope with a longer burn duration and
more robust testing of the feather mechanism, supersonic aerodynamics and wing lift
structure,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. “Each powered flight of
SpaceShipTwo yields cumulative progress that builds the foundation for safe and
exciting commercial space flights.” Chairman of aabar Investments PJS, H.E. Khadem
Al Qubaisi, commented: “This flight milestone represents a key step forward for
the Virgin Galactic team. The successful completion of all major aspects of the
flight mission demonstrates that we are very close to achieving one of Galactic’s
key goals: commercialising access to space for the public. I would like to congratulate
the whole team on their continued success.”