14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at Virgin Galactic are proud to announce that their private spacecraft was recently able to finish a long test flight, which topped off all other such endeavors to date. The space plane is being developed to carry paying passengers to the edge of space, on suborbital joy rides.
The new drop tests took place over the Mojave Desert, in California, and were conducted using the WhiteKnightTwo aircraft carrier and the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. The flights were carried out on Friday, April 22, Space reports.
According to experts, the primary goal of these tests is to determine whether there truly is no problem with the undocking sequence that SpaceShipTwo needs to undergo before separating from its WhiteKnightTwo mothership.
Yesterday's was the fifth such separation. After it was released from its carrier, the spacecraft glided above the Mojave Air and Space Port, a massive facility being constructed in the desert. Its role is to provide the necessary support for private spaceflight companies.
Virgin Galactic is one of the primary operators of the new spaceport. alongside Mojave-based aerospace company Scaled Composites. The latter is the main contractor on building both the SpaceShipTwo and its mothership.
“Looks like another good day for the Scaled team as we move through the test program,” explains George Whitesides, who is both the president and the CEO of Virgin Galactic. Christine Choi, a company spokeswoman, adds that the flight lasted for a total of 14 minutes and 31 seconds.
Space reports that the SpaceShipTwo was flown by test pilot Peter Siebold and co-pilot Doug Shane. Both had the job of making sure the spacecraft remains stable and in control after its separation.
It is being designed to carry 6 paying passengers and 2 crew members to low-Earth orbit, so the company really cannot afford any mishaps. At this time, a seat on the spacecraft will set you back about $200,000.
Space operations are scheduled to begin next year, officials say. The spaceport needs to be finished first, and there are also a large number of tests and assessments that still need to be passed before SpaceShipTwo can fly.
However, officials at both Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic are convinced that people could be carried on suborbital flight commercially by 2012, or 2013 tops.