Virgin Galactic completes successful space flight
Virgin Galactic completed a successful space flight Saturday. Image via Virgin Galactic/Twitter
May 22 (UPI) -- Virgin Galactic completed its first successful space flight in more than two years Saturday.
"It was picture perfect," Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier told The Verge after the flight was completed. "We're gonna go through the data deeply and thoroughly as we always do." In a statement, Colglazier called the flight a "major step forward for both Virgin Galactic and human spaceflight in New Mexico," which had never hosted a crewed test mission to space until today.
The crewed VSS Unity spacecraft reached an altitude of more than 44,000 feet before gliding safely back to Earth.
Virgin's VMS Eve carrier launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico at about 10:35 a.m. EDT with Unity onboard, then launched Unity once it had switched to its own battery power and conducted flight control and electrical checks.
The United States considers pilots who have flown above 80 kilometers to be astronauts.
Saturday's trip is the latest step toward Virgin Galactic's goal of creating a space tourism program.
The company taken about 600 reservations for space flight tickets at a cost of $250,000 each
The flight marked the first spaceflight from New Mexico, which is now the third U.S. state to launch humans into space.
The flight also carried research payloads for NASA's Flight Opportunities program.
By 
May 23rd, 2021
Credit: Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic completed on May 22 its third spaceflight and the first ever spaceflight from Spaceport America, New Mexico.
VSS Unity spaceship completed the first-ever human spaceflight from Spaceport America, New Mexico, with two pilots reaching apogee at 55.45 miles above ground. The flight is a meaningful step toward the opening of commercial space travel.
VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve, and reached space before gliding to a runway landing at Spaceport America.
On VSS Unity’s flight deck were CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay, while Kelly Latimer and Michael Masucci piloted VMS Eve.
Credit: Virgin Galactic
Test objectives
According to a Virgin Galactic press statement, the flight fulfilled a number of test objectives, including:
- Carried revenue-generating scientific research experiments as part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program.
- Collected data to be used for the final two verification reports that are required as part of the current FAA commercial reusable spacecraft operator’s license.
- Tested the spaceship’s upgraded horizontal stabilizers and flight controls and validated Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) reductions.
Following the flight, Virgin Galactic will conduct a review of all test data gathered and thoroughly inspect the spaceship and mothership. Once the team confirms the results, the company plans to proceed to the next flight test milestone.
Credit: Spaceport America
Important milestone
“Fifteen years ago, New Mexico embarked on a journey to create the world’s first commercial spaceport,’’ said Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic founder. ‘’Today, we launched the first human spaceflight from that very same place, marking an important milestone for both Virgin Galactic and New Mexico.”
To celebrate the first human spaceflight from New Mexico, the Zia Sun Symbol of New Mexico’s state flag was placed prominently on the exterior of the Spaceship. In addition, we flew green chile seeds, which are synonymous with the state’s rich agricultural and culinary history.
To view a Virgin Galactic video spotlighting the flight, go to:
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