Scaled Composites Astronaut Mike Melvill flies chase plane nearby as SpaceShipTwo touches down at the Mojave Air and Spaceport after successful glide flight. Photo by Bill Deaver/Deaver-Wiggins and Associates
Another glide flight of the SpaceShipTwo took place today at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
Today’s high-altitude drop from the carrier airplane – WhiteKnightTwo – was the eleventh glide flight for the SpaceShipTwo. Onboard the vessel, putting the spaceship through its paces, Pete Siebold and Doug Shane.
According to Scaled Composites of Mojave, the creator and builder of the WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo launch system, the June 14 test of the rocket plane in glide mode stayed aloft for 13 minutes and 18 seconds.
“All objectives achieved” states the flight log for the SpaceShipTwo – a craft that will support two pilots and six passengers on a suborbital trek in the future.
The space tourist-class rocket plane is named the VSS Enterprise and is nearing another milestone.
In the near future, technicians will install the SpaceShipTwo’s hybrid rocket motor, a key technology needed to propel paying customers to the edge of space.
Pay-per-view flights on the SpaceShipTwo promise to offer stunning views of the Earth and several minutes of weightlessness. Hundreds of individuals have signed up for seats on the rocket plane, priced at $200,000 and being sold by Virgin Galactic.
Virgin Galactic commercial space liner operations are being bankrolled by British entrepreneur and adventurer, Sir Richard Branson, founder of the firm.
By Leonard David