14 DAY TRIAL // SpaceX may be doing wonders for private spaceflight, but none of us are going up in a Dragon capsule any time soon. That's not true for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, which is designed specifically for passengers.
The craft has now completed its first ever rocket-powered test, reaching supersonic speeds and a maximum height of 16.8 km (55,000 feet).
The craft has flown before, but without powering the engine. SpaceShipTwo was designed to be carried by WhiteKnightTwo, a specialized plane, up to a height of 14.3 km (47,000 feet). After reaching it, the craft then detached and later ignited its rocket engine.
It burned for 16 seconds, the planned time length, pushing SpaceShipTwo to a height of 16.8 km and reaching Mach 1.2.
The plan is to do a complete run by the end of the year. The craft will use its rocket engine to reach speeds of 4,000 km/h (2,500 mph) and a top height of 110 km (360,000 feet), technically in outer space.
