Tag: SpaceShipTwo
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VSS Unity: Virgin Galactic christens a reborn SpaceShipTwo, with assist from Stephen Hawking
Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, dubbed the VSS Unity, rolls out under the spotlights at the company’s hangar in Mojave, Calif. (GeekWire photo by Alan Boyle) MOJAVE, Calif. – Sixteen months after Virgin Galactic’s first SpaceShipTwo rocket plane was lost amid tragedy, the second SpaceShipTwo was christened Virgin Spaceship Unity today with a smashed bottle…
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Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson ribs space billionaires amid Blue Origin buzz
Richard Branson says he’s in a friendly rivalry with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. (Credit: Virgin Galactic) Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture may have done another flight test, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is making waves with its rocket progress – but don’t forget about Richard Branson. “Our spaceship comes back and lands on wheels. Theirs…
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Stephen Hawking will help Virgin Galactic roll out second SpaceShipTwo on Feb. 19
British physicist Stephen Hawking addresses Virgin Galactic customers at Cambridge University. (Credit: Richard Branson via YouTube) More than a year after the first SpaceShipTwo rocket plane was destroyed in a fatal test flight, Virgin Galactic says the second SpaceShipTwo is ready for its California rollout on Feb. 19 – and famed British physicist Stephen Hawking is invited.…
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Virgin Galactic gets a 747 jet to serve as flying launch pad for its LauncherOne rocket
An artist’s conception shows a Virgin Galactic 747 jet carrying a LauncherOne rocket. (Credit: Virgin Galactic) Virgin Galactic showed off its latest mothership today: a Boeing 747-400 jet that it acquired from its corporate cousins at Virgin Atlantic to serve as the platform for its LauncherOne rocket. LauncherOne is designed to be launched from a…
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Virgin Galactic in transition one year after fatal accident
Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo vehicle goes “weight on wheels” in Mojave in May. Credit: Virgin Galactic Last year’s fatal crash of Virgin Galactic’s suborbital rocket plane has delayed the start of the company’s commercial operations at least a year, prompting a change in mindset from a “period of euphoria to a period of real, measurable,…
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Video shows SpaceShipTwo just before fatal crash
A video released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane drop from its carrier aircraft, ignite its motor, and prematurely engage its braking system just before disintegrating high above California’s Mojave Desert last October. Investigators concluded Tuesday the cause of the crash, which killed co-pilot Michael Alsbury and injured pilot Peter…
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NTSB’s SpaceShipTwo findings put more pressure on FAA in commercial space
A video screengrab shows SpaceShipTwo’s wings in their “feathered” position moments before the rocket plane’s breakup on Oct. 31, 2014. (Credit: Virgin Galactic / NTSB) The recommendations coming out of a federal investigation of last October’s fatal SpaceShipTwo breakup are likely to add to the challenges facing the commercial spaceflight industry – but they could also provide…
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SpaceShipTwo mishap due to pilot error and company training oversight
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION NTSB investigators survey wreckage from SpaceShipTwo following the crash in October 2014. Credit: NTSB The fatal in-flight breakup of Virgin Galactic’s futuristic SpaceShipTwo rocket plane during a test flight last October was the result of pilot error, possibly triggered by a high workload, unfamiliar vibration and rapid acceleration,…
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Virgin Galactic planning SpaceShipTwo’s return to flight
A second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane is under construction in Mojave, Calif. Credit: Virgin Galactic Less than 10 weeks after a fatal crash that destroyed a suborbital rocket plane and raised questions about the future Virgin Galactic, the company’s chief executive says engineers are developing a test program for a replacement spaceship expected to fly later…
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NTSB provides timeline of SpaceShipTwo mishap
NTSB investigators visit Virgin Galactic’s hangar in Mojave, Calif. Credit: NTSB Just 13 seconds after Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo began a rocket-powered test flight last Friday — and just five seconds after its innovative aero-braking system was inadvertently deployed at supersonic speeds — the spaceplane apparently broke up, killing one pilot and injuring another, according to…