spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Virgin Galactic performs first powered flight of second SpaceShipTwo
Posted: Sun, Apr 8, 2018, 9:36 AM ET (1336 GMT)
SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity first powered flight (MarsScientific.com and Trumbull Studios) Virgin Galactic's second SpaceShipTwo made its first powered flight Thursday. The vehicle, named VSS Unity, was released from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft at about 12 pm EDT (1600 GMT) and fired its hybrid rocket motor for 30 seconds. The vehicle reached a peak altitude of more than 25,000 meters and a top speed of Mach 1.87 on the flight before safely landing at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The flight was the first powered flight test of SpaceShipTwo since a fatal crash of the first vehicle, VSS Enterprise, in October 2014. The company is planning an unspecified number of powered test flights this year in preparation for commercial operations. "Space feels tantalizingly close now," Virgin founder Richard Branson tweeted shortly after the flight.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT)

French government leads investment in Eutelsat
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 8:38 AM ET (1238 GMT)

NASA further delays Ax-4 launch
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 8:34 AM ET (1234 GMT)

news links
Thursday, July 3
SpaceX double launch lights up Florida sky, but most Volusia beachgoers don't notice
Daytona Beach (FL) News-Journal — 2:39 am ET (0639 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list