The company celebrates as it completes what will likely be the final test before commercial space tourism operations begin.
Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its first spaceflight in nearly two years, the company says, after an “upgrade period” to make safety improvements to its fleet.
Thursday’s flight marked the fifth time the space tourism company had touched the limits of space, and it was heralded as the final test before it can begin commercial operations in late June with members of the Italian Air Force as the first paying customers.
“Touchdown, VSS Unity!” The company tweeted, referencing the name of the company’s spaceplane. “Our crew and spacecraft are back on Earth after a smooth landing at Spaceport America, New Mexico.”
Six company employees, including two pilots, landed after the brief climb and descent, which included a few minutes of weightlessness. It took the mothership about an hour to launch the spacecraft to an altitude of 13,500 meters (44,500 feet), where it was released and fired its rocket motor to make the final push.
Virgin Galactic employees are scheduled to complete the company’s final test flight on May 25, 2023 before taking paying customers on short trips into space [Virgin Galactic via AP]According to the company, it reached an altitude of 87 km (54.2 miles) before gliding back to the runway.
The flight came nearly two years after founder Richard Branson defeated fellow billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and rocket company Blue Origin in space. Bezos eventually flew out of West Texas nine days later, and Blue Origin has since launched multiple passenger flights.
Virgin Galactic’s space program suffered from years of delays and an accident in 2014 that killed a pilot. Federal aviation authorities also banned Virgin Galactic’s launch after Branson’s flight to investigate a mishap.
The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating an issue that caused the missile to go off course on return flight to the runway. Virgin Galactic has made changes to its carrier plane and spaceplane. The delay was almost twice as long as expected, partly due to supply chain issues and labor shortages.
Unlike other companies that use vertical take-off rockets, Virgin Galactic uses a two-pilot carrier aircraft that takes off from a runway, gains altitude and drops a rocket-powered aircraft that flies into space before gliding back to Earth.
Total travel time is 90 minutes, with passengers experiencing a few minutes of weightlessness in the spaceplane’s cabin.
Virgin Galactic has been working to send paying passengers on short space jumps for more than a decade and finally received federal government approval in 2021.
The first commercial flight, expected this year, will involve members of the Italian Air Force who will conduct experiments. Next come customers who years ago bought tickets for a chance to experience zero gravity aboard a winged spacecraft that launches from the belly of an airplane.
About 800 tickets have been sold in the past decade, with the first batch costing $200,000 each. Tickets are now $450,000 per person.
Virgin Galactic has reached space five times since 2018 and is targeting 400 flights a year from its spaceport in southern New Mexico once construction of its next class of rocket-powered aircraft is complete at a facility in neighboring Arizona.