Virgin Galactic’s reusable space plane VSS Unity launched again on November 2, 2023, maintaining the company’s one-mission-per-month pace that began in the spring of the same year. The flight, known as Galactic 05, transported two research scientists and one other private passenger, in addition to VSS Unity’s crew, to suborbital space. This marked the fifth commercial spaceflight for Virgin Galactic and the company’s 10th overall journey to space.
The VSS Unity took off from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, carried by its carrier plane, VMS Eve. After reaching an altitude of approximately 45,000 feet, Eve released Unity, which then ignited its hybrid rocket motor. The space plane reached a top speed of around three times the speed of sound as it ascended through Earth’s atmosphere. While the flight didn’t achieve orbit, it ascended high enough for passengers to see the curvature of Earth against the backdrop of space.
The passengers of Galactic 05 experienced about two minutes of weightlessness before Unity returned to Earth with a runway landing at Spaceport America. The flight marked the final one for Virgin Galactic in 2023, with the next scheduled flight set for January 2024, following a standard inspection of its vehicles. The mission carried a total of six people into space, including three crew and three passengers.
The mission commander was Mike “Sooch” Masucci, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and a former test and combat pilot. Kelly Latimer, the first woman to serve as a research pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, piloted the space plane. Colin Bennett, a Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor, made the final flight for the company’s in-flight astronaut trainers. Future flights will carry four passengers instead of three.
The passengers on Galactic 05 included two scientists who conducted human-tended research during the flight. The mission was a significant step forward for Virgin Galactic in its goal to offer reliable access to space for research and tourism purposes.
Key Takeaways:
- Virgin Galactic’s reusable space plane VSS Unity recently completed its fifth commercial spaceflight, marking the company’s 10th overall trip to space.
- The flight, known as Galactic 05, carried two research scientists and one private passenger, along with the VSS Unity’s crew, to suborbital space.
- Despite not reaching orbit, the space plane ascended high enough for passengers to view the curvature of the Earth and experience about two minutes of weightlessness.
“Virgin Galactic’s reusable space plane VSS Unity lifted off again today (Nov. 2) , continuing the one-mission-per-month tempo the company began this spring. Today’s flight, called Galactic 05, carried two research scientists and one other private passenger, along with VSS Unity’s crew, to suborbital space. It marked the fifth commercial spaceflight for Virgin Galactic and the company’s 10th trip to the final frontier overall.”
More details: here
References:
- VideoFromSpace (YouTube Channel)
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