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Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity Performs Powered Flight

posted by chromas on Friday April 06 2018, @03:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the when-is-the-flutter-test? dept.

takyon writes:

Virgin Galactic spacecraft performs the first powered flight since fatal 2014 crash

Richard Branson's fledgling space tourism company Virgin Galactic performed a powered flight of its spacecraft today, the first since a fatal crash in 2014.

Virgin's spacecraft is unlike others because it is launched mid-flight by a larger plane called White Knight Two. This particular version of the spacecraft, dubbed SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity, has performed seven glide tests since it was built in 2016. Like those previous tests, it was carried high above the Mojave Desert by White Knight Two and released at 46,000 feet. But today, pilots Mark Stucky and Dave Mackay fired Unity's engine and continued skyward.

The spaceplane's engine burned for 30 seconds, pushing the Unity supersonic to Mach 1.87 before the engines cut off. It coasted to 84,000 feet before gliding down again for a safe landing at the company's spaceport back in Mojave. White Knight Two safely touched down roughly 30 minutes later.

Also at CNN and Bloomberg.

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 06 2018, @04:50PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 06 2018, @04:50PM (#663481)

    > ... is unlike others ...

    ... is *like* the Bell X-1 & X-2 and also the North American X-15 ...

    From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 [wikipedia.org]

    The North American X-15 was a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design. The X-15's official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a manned, powered aircraft, set in October 1967 when William J. Knight flew Mach 6.72 at 102,100 feet (31,120 m), a speed of 4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h; 2,021 m/s), has remained unchallenged as of April 2018.
    ...
    Like many X-series aircraft, the X-15 was designed to be carried aloft and drop launched from under the wing of a NASA B-52 mother ship. Air Force NB-52A, "The High and Mighty One" (serial 52-0003, a.k.a. Balls Three), and NB-52B, "The Challenger" (serial 52-0008, a.k.a. Balls 8) served as carrier planes for all X-15 flights. Release took place at an altitude of about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) and a speed of about 500 miles per hour (805 km/h).

    Maybe that speed record will be broken soon?

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  • (Score: 2) by frojack on Friday April 06 2018, @10:54PM (1 child)

    by frojack (1554) on Friday April 06 2018, @10:54PM (#663576) Journal

    Maybe the record was broken a long time ago and wiki is just wrong.
    See below.

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @12:40AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @12:40AM (#663601)

      You write about the altitude record, but my post about the X-15 mentions the speed record.