Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Makes History with 1st Rocket-Powered Flight

[Eugene]

Source: SPACE.com

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Makes History with 1st Rocket-Powered Flight

by Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor
Date: 29 April 2013 Time: 11:31 AM ET

A private spaceship designed to carry space tourists made its first rocket-powered test flight today (April 29), reaching supersonic speeds as it paved the way toward commercial flights in the near future.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane fired its rocket engines for the first time during flight this morning in a test from California's Mojave Air and Spaceport. The vehicle was carried aloft by the mothership WhiteKnightTwo, and then released in midair at an altitude of about 46,000 feet (14,000 meters). At that point, SpaceShipTwo test fired its rocket engine, designed to propel the craft the rest of the way up to space.

After a short 16-second burn today, SpaceShipTwo reached a maximum altitude of 56,000 feet (17,000 meters) before it flew back to Earth. The trip marked the 26th test flight of the vehicle, and the first "powered flight," which propelled the ship to Mach 1.2, fast enough to beat the speed of sound, which is 761 miles per hour (1224 km/h) at sea level.

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Read more: http://www.space.com/20870-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-rocket-test-flight.html

[RT Atlanta]

1. very cool!

It's amazing to me that a 16 second burst from the engine pushed VSS over supersonic speeds. That's one powerful little engine in the back of the rocketplane.

I am excited and looking forward to seeing VirginGalactic blend SciFi and reality very soon.