VSS Unity has just been released from WhiteKnightTwo to glide home. 4th glide flight test for #SpaceShipTwo
Smooth landing for VSS Unity. In #SpaceShipTwo: pilots Mark Stucky and Mike Masucci.
The pilots have begun their test of the ‘feather’ re-entry system. The vehicle is in the feathered configuration now. #SpaceShipTwo
Exciting to have 1st feathered flight of VSS Unity in the books now. Gathered lots of great data to complement ground testing. #SpaceShipTwo
Image from today: VSS Unity in the air after a successful in-flight test of the 'feather' re-entry system. More images coming soon.
Image from today VSS Unity flies in the feather configuration, testing out the vehicle’s re-entry system. Read More: http://virg.in/1feather
May 01, 2017Update From Mojave: First Feather Flight Of VSS Unity CompletedAs noted in our previous post, we’d learned enough from our past test flights to safely take the next step forward in our thorough test flight program. That step happened on a successful test flight conducted this morning from the Mojave Air and Space Port, during which we tested VSS Unity’s ‘feather’ re-entry system in flight for the first time.Virgin Spaceship Unity flies freely after being released from Virgin Mothership Eve on 1 May 2017. During this test, the feather re-entry system was activated in flight for the first time.This test follows after extensive testing of the feather system on the ground.Full analysis of the data from today’s flight will, as always, take time; but initial reports from the pilots and from mission control are extremely encouraging.VSS Unity was piloted today by Mark Stucky and Mike Masucci, with pilots Nicola Pecile and CJ Sturckow as well as flight test engineer Dustin Mosher in WhiteKnightTwo. Today’s test flight was the fourth glide flight (and eight flight overall) of VSS Unity, and the 227th flight of WhiteKnightTwo VMS Eve.VSS Unity glides home after her first feather flight on 1st May 2017Once data reviews are complete, we will move forward with our testing program—pressing onward with additional glide flights designed to expand our envelope of flight weights and centers of gravity. Please stay tuned to this site and our social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn) for more information as our flight testing program progresses.
Ever wondered how to build a spaceship? James Flynn, avionics engineering manager at The Spaceship Company, explains some of the technology that is going into Virgin Galactic’s spaceships…
Greetings from Mojave Air and Space Port! Our team is prepping for a #SpaceShipTwo flight test today
Today #SpaceShipTwo is loaded with water ballast to shift the center of gravity rearward to replicate rocket-powered flight!
VSS Unity has just been released from WhiteKnightTwo to glide home. 5th glide flight test for #SpaceShipTwo
As planned, our pilots have dumped the water ballast. #SpaceShipTwo
Another smooth landing for VSS Unity. In #SpaceShipTwo: pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow
WhiteKnightTwo has landed, completing today’s test. Crew today were pilots Kelly Latimer & Michael Masucci, flight test engr Colin Bennett
June 01, 2017Update From Mojave: VSS Unity Loads Up For Latest FlightVG04Whatever might be said about Mojave – it is rarely a dull place!Hot on the heels of yesterday’s exciting first appearance of the huge carrier aircraft from our Mojave neighbors Stratolaunch, our own vehicles took to the skies this morning for VSS Unity’s ninth test flight.It was exactly a month ago that our spaceship last flew, successfully demonstrating its unique re-entry “feathering” mechanism for the first time in flight.Today, VSS Unity pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow, had an equally busy test-card, but with the emphasis on proving the spaceship’s handling qualities, particularly at low speeds, with more weight on board than previously, and with a centre of gravity shifted towards the back of the vehicle.This was achieved by loading around 1000lbs of water into a specially installed ballast tank in the rear of the spaceship’s fuselage. That enabled us to explore the flight conditions we will experience during rocket powered flights. By jettisoning the water ballast on descent, we were also able to confirm handling characteristics as the vehicle’s centre of gravity moved forward. Unity completed the flight with a safe and smooth landing in its lighter-weight configuration.Today’s events represent another important milestone as we move towards the end of the of the initial glide test portion of the program and turn our attention to the spaceship’s propulsion system. To that end, as we analyse the data from today’s flight, we will be moving into a period of ground-based activity focussed on preparation for fuelled and then powered flights. As always, meticulous preparation and a focus on safety will determine next steps and timelines, but we expect to be back in the air in the not too distant future.
Sirisha Bandla of Virgin Galactic discussing the use of SpaceShipTwo for microgravity research. #DPSS17
Virgin sticking to plans to remove five seats for payload racks on µg research flights, leaving one seat for a payload specialist. #DPSS17
Bandla: primarily working with NASA’s Flight Opportunities program for research flights. Those will be going “above 80 km.” #DPSS17
Bandla: there will be opportunities to fly research payloads while still in the SS2 flight test program, before flying tourists. #DPSS17
RICHARD BRANSON SAYS VIRGIN GALACTIC SHOULD BE IN SPACE BY DECEMBERA preview of our full interview with Richard Branson, available in the current issue of British GQSTORY BY CHARLIE BURTONTUESDAY 6 JUNE 2017
On when he hopes to go to space"I certainly would be very disappointed if I don't go up next year. And I would hope it's earlier than later in the year," he says. "The programme says that we should be [testing] in space by December, as long as we don't have any setbacks between now and then."
'The benefits of having a spaceship in your office' blog post by @TheSpaceshipCo Stephen King via @gtwhitesides https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/benefits-having-spaceship-your-office