14 DAY TRIAL // Virgin Galactic appears to have indeed built one of the most impressive, private spacecraft ever. Their SpaceShipTwo, and its carrier WhiteKnightTwo, are now completing one successful test flight after another, validating systems and performances ahead of entering active use.
The aircraft duo is designed to take paying passengers – some of the world's richest individuals – to the edge of space. The SpaceShipTwo will be able to conduct suborbital flights, providing its passengers with a few minutes of weightlessness in low-Earth orbit.
At this point, the spacecraft and its carrier aircraft are not fully validated, but the flurry of tests being conducted over the Mojave Air and Space Port in California is meant to provide the data needed to achieve this objective.
Virgin wants to put its aircraft into active use as soon as possible, but the novelty of the systems they are using, and the unconventional design of both WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo are forcing them to proceed with caution.
Thus far, the VSS Enterprise – the first SpaceShipTwo ever built – has completed 14 successful glide flights, after separating from its carrier aircraft high in orbit. The last such test took place on June 23.
On Thursday, the spacecraft successfully flew an 8-minute, 55-second glide down to the spaceport, after being released from the WhiteKnightTwo. The new flight came just a week after the same spacecraft proved that it could fly on consecutive days.
“Another good flight test for the program, on a beautiful Mojave morning. This is what Scaled [Composites] is so good at: flying, testing, and learning in a rapid cycle of innovation,” explains George Whitesides.
“The high flight rate is a positive indication of the vehicles’ ability to fly frequently and safely,” adds the expert, who is the CEO of Virgin Galactic. The company is working with Scaled Composite on developing the new flight system.
At this point, Virgin estimates a $200,000 price tag for a ticket to suborbital altitudes. The way the system works is the WhiteKnightTwo takes off from the Mojave Desert, carrying the VSS Enterprise.
High in the atmosphere, the spacecraft is dropped, and then ignites its rocket engines to boost its altitude to LEO. After spending a few minutes in space, it glides back down to the surface, using a sweeping wing design to withstand the descent.
SpaceShipTwo then lands on its own on a regular airway, returning the passengers back to the spaceport. Virgin Galactic plans to operate an entire fleet of such vessels over the next couple of years, Space reports.