NASA-supported Tech aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo
Washington, D.C. – Successful space and suborbital technology developments require ingenuity, understanding of mission and science needs, and testing. For many technologies matured with support from NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, the ability to undergo testing multiple times – and often on different types of commercial flight vehicles – adds the necessary rigor and refinement to advance these innovations.
Evolved versions of two NASA-supported technologies that have flown previously through Flight Opportunities will be put to the test on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.
Virgin Galactic Makes Space for Second Time in Ten Weeks with Three on Board
[1], the ability to undergo testing multiple times – and often on different types of commercial flight vehicles
[2] – adds the necessary rigor and refinement to advance these innovations.
Evolved versions of two NASA-supported technologies that have flown previously through Flight Opportunities will be put to the test on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.
Virgin Galactic Makes Space for Second Time in Ten Weeks with Three on Board
Taking off for the first time from New Mexico’s Spaceport America and expected to reach an altitude of more than 50 miles (80 kilometers), the rocket-powered suborbital space plane will expose the payloads to more than two minutes of microgravity, enabling researchers to assess performance and make necessary design updates based on the data collected.
VSS Unity aborts after engine start, safely lands with crew back at Spaceport America
December 12, 2020
Virgin Galactic was to perform their first human spaceflight of their VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo vehicle from Spaceport America, just south of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, today.
The spaceship and crew took off at 10:24 EST (15:24 UTC) firmly attached to their WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft from the runway at Spaceport America. The combined aircraft climbed to altitude before Unity was released at 11:15 EST (16:15 UTC).
After release, Unity lit its engine but aborted one second into firing. The ship and pilots executed the proper procedures and brought Unity to a successful, unpowered descent and landing. The crew is safe and manually landed Unity after the abort.
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is poised to launch the SpaceShipTwo as early as Saturday on a milestone powered flight test following a month-long delay due to COVID-19 restrictions in New Mexico. The company hopes to send a pair of astronauts, CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay, aboard the
VSS Unity on a suborbital trip, marking the spaceplane’s third crewed test mission. What’s more, this launch will be the first time that a crewed spaceflight has taken off from New Mexico soil making it only the third American state to actually launch spacecraft overall, behind California and Florida.
“We anticipate that this upcoming flight will provide some of the data for us to close out our final two verification reports required by the FAA to remove the remaining proviso in our current commercial spaceflight license,” Sturkow said in a statement. “Upon successful completion of this flight, and data review, we will proceed to the next phase of testing, where we will fly four mission
Suborbital Space Again, NASA-supported Tech on Virgin Galactic s SpaceShipTwo – Parabolic Arc parabolicarc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from parabolicarc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.