Virgin Galactic\u2019s VSS Unity conducted her second powered test flight on Tuesday, taking another step towards being ready to enter service with paying customers. That milestone is years behind schedule, further delayed by the disastrous test flight that resulted in the loss of VSS Enterprise in 2014. However, the company is now back on an upward trajectory.<\/p>\n
Those setbacks and delays have failed to halt Virgin Galactic\u2019s goal of sending paying customers on a suborbital trip into space, despite growing competition from other companies such as Blue Origin \u2013 a company that is deep into its test program with the New Shepard vehicle while preparing to enter the realm of orbital launches.<\/p>\n
Virgin Galactic\u2019s return from the disaster of the 2014 test failure is centered around a replacement spacecraft called VSS Unity. Numerous tests had already been conducted on the upgraded vehicle ahead of the milestone of the first propulsive test less than two months ago.<\/p>\n
That test was a success, allowing for a relatively speedy turnaround for the second powered test on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The focus of the latest test flight was to learn more about the spaceship\u2019s supersonic handling characteristics and control system\u2019s performance with vehicle parameters that were closer to the ultimate commercial configuration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis involved shifting the vehicle\u2019s center of gravity rearward via the addition of passenger seats and related equipment,\u201d noted Virgin Galactic, potentially pointing to the test program entering the final stretch before allowing passengers on the vehicle.<\/p>\n
However, a full duration flight \u2013 highlighted by a full duration burn of the rocket motor \u2013 will be required before the end of the test program is in sight.<\/p>\n
For this flight, the motor burned for the planned 31 seconds \u2013 which is less than the full flight duration \u2013 propelling Unity to a speed of Mach 1.9 and an altitude of 114,500 ft.<\/p>\n
At this point, Unity\u2019s re-entry feathering system was deployed for the initial descent before the final glide home to a smooth runway landing at the Mojave Air and Space Port.<\/p>\n
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