Wikipedia

List of Virgin Galactic launches

The following is a list of Virgin Galactic launches since 2003.

SpaceShipOne
SpaceShipOne after its flight into space, June 2004.
General information
TypeSpaceplane
ManufacturerScaled Composites
Designer
Primary userMojave Aerospace Ventures
Number built1
History
First flight20 May 2003 (2003-05-20)
Retired4 October 2004 (2004-10-04)
Developed intoSpaceShipTwo
Preserved atNational Air and Space Museum
SpaceShipTwo
SpaceShipTwo (central fuselage) carried under its twin fuselage mother ship, White Knight Two.
General information
TypePassenger spaceplane
National originUnited States
ManufacturerScaled Composites (1st aircraft)
The Spaceship Company
Primary userVirgin Galactic
Number built2
History
First flight10 October 2010 (first glide flight)
29 April 2013 (first powered flight)
13 December 2018 (first spaceflight)
Developed fromScaled Composites SpaceShipOne
Developed intoThe Spaceship Company SpaceShip III
VSS Enterprise (N339SS)
VSS Enterprise, the first SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, attached to its carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo VMS Eve
General information
TypeScaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
ManufacturerScaled Composites
StatusDestroyed
OwnersVirgin Galactic
Construction number1
RegistrationN339SS
History
First flight10 October 2010 (crewed gliding flight) 29 April 2013 (powered flight)
FateCrashed
31 October 2014
VSS Unity
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity rollout, 19 February 2016, FAITH hangar, Mojave, California
General information
TypeScaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
ManufacturerThe Spaceship Company
OwnersVirgin Galactic
Construction number2
RegistrationN202VG[1]
History
First flight
In serviceRetired
FateRetired 8 June 2024
SpaceShip III
General information
TypeSuborbital air-launched passenger rocket-spaceplane
National originUnited States
ManufacturerThe Spaceship Company
DesignerVirgin Galactic
StatusUnder development
Primary userVirgin Galactic
Number built1
History
Manufacturedsince 2021
Introduction date2021
Developed fromSpaceShipTwo

Virgin Galactic launch

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The Virgin Galactic series of vehicles, starting with SpaceShipOne, are more comparable to the X-15 than orbiting spacecraft like the Space Shuttle. Accelerating a spacecraft to orbital speed requires more than 60 times as much energy as accelerating it to Mach 3. It would also require an elaborate heat shield to safely dissipate that energy during re-entry.[3]

SpaceShipOne

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Main article: SpaceShipOne

Although not a Virgin Galactic launcher, SpaceShipOne was the direct predecessor of the Virgin Galactic vehicles, and served to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. SpaceShipOne was an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design featured a unique "feathering" atmospheric reentry system where the rear half of the wing and the twin tail booms folds 70 degrees upward along a hinge running the length of the wing; this increases drag while retaining stability. SpaceShipOne completed the first crewed private spaceflight in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million Ansari X Prize and was immediately retired from active service. Its mother ship was named "White Knight". Both craft were developed and flown by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, which was a joint venture between Paul Allen and Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.

Rutan has indicated that ideas about the project began as early as 1994 and the full-time development cycle time to the 2004 accomplishments was about three years.[citation needed] The vehicle first achieved supersonic flight on December 17, 2003, which was also the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first powered flight. SpaceShipOne's first official spaceflight, known as flight 15P, was piloted by Mike Melvill. A few days before that flight, the Mojave Air and Space Port was the first commercial spaceport licensed in the United States. A few hours after that flight, Melvill became the first licensed U.S. commercial astronaut. The overall project name was "Tier One" which has evolved into Tier 1b with a goal of taking a successor ship's first passengers into space.

SpaceShipOne's official model designation is Scaled Composites Model 316.

SpaceShipTwo

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The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) was an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It was manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.

SpaceShipTwo was carried to its launch altitude by a White Knight Two aircraft, before being released to fly on into the upper atmosphere, powered by its rocket engine. It then glided back to Earth and performed a conventional runway landing.[4] The spaceship was officially unveiled to the public on 7 December 2009 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.[5] On 29 April 2013, after nearly three years of unpowered testing, the first one constructed successfully performed its first powered test flight.[6]

Virgin Galactic planned to operate a fleet of five SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes in a private passenger-carrying service.[7][8][9][10] Virgin Galactic took bookings for many years, with a suborbital flight ticket price rising quite heavily throughout the years.[11] The spaceplane was also used to carry scientific payloads for NASA and other organizations.[12]

VSS Enterprise

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Main article: VSS Enterprise

VSS Enterprise (tail number: N339SS[13]) was the first SpaceShipTwo (SS2) spaceplane, built by Scaled Composites for Virgin Galactic. As of 2004, it was planned to be the first of five commercial suborbital SS2 spacecraft planned by Virgin Galactic.[14][15][needs update] It was also the first ship of the Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo class, based on upscaling the design of the record-breaking SpaceShipOne.

The VSS Enterprise's name was an acknowledgement of the USS Enterprise from the Star Trek television series. The spaceplane also shared its name with NASA's prototype Space Shuttle orbiter, as well as the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was rolled out on 7 December 2009.[16]

SpaceShipTwo made its first powered flight in April 2013. Richard Branson said it "couldn't have gone more smoothly".[17]

On 31 October 2014, during a test flight, the first SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise broke up in flight and crashed in the Mojave desert.[18][19][20][21] A preliminary investigation suggested that the craft's descent device deployed too early.[22][23] One pilot, Michael Alsbury, was killed; the other was treated for a serious shoulder injury after parachuting from the stricken spacecraft.[24][25]

VSS Unity

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Main article: VSS Unity

VSS Unity (Virgin Space Ship Unity, Registration: N202VG), previously referred to as VSS Voyager, was a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It was the second SpaceShipTwo-spacecraft to be built and was used as part of the Virgin Galactic fleet.

VSS Unity[26] was unveiled on 19 February 2016.[27][28][29][30] The spacecraft completed ground-based system integration testing in September 2016,[31] after which the vehicle flew its first test flight also in September 2016.[32] Its first flight to space (above 50 miles altitude), VSS Unity VP03, took place on 13 December 2018.[33] It flew its final test flight (that is, final flight with only Virgin Galactic personnel onboard), Unity 25, on 25 May 2023. It flew its first operational flight (that is, flight carrying passengers that were not Virgin Galactic employees), Galactic 01, on 29 June 2023. It flew its last flight, Galactic 07, on 8 June 2024, after which it was retired.

SpaceShipThree

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SpaceShip III (SS3, also with Roman numeral III; formerly SpaceShipThree) is an upcoming class of spaceplanes by Virgin Galactic to follow SpaceShipTwo. It was first teased on the Virgin Galactic Twitter account on 25 February 2021 announcing the rollout of the first SpaceShip III plane on 30 March 2021.[34]

Launch Statistics

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Rocket

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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Outcome

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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
  •   Success
  •   Failure

Flight type

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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
  •   Glide flight
  •   Captive carry flight
  •   Cold flow flight
  •   Powered flight

Flights

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SpaceShipOne Flights

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On 17 December 2003—on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers first powered flight of an aircraft—SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie on Flight 11P, made its first rocket-powered flight and became the first privately built craft to achieve supersonic flight.[35]: 8 

 
SpaceShipOne landing

All of the flights of SpaceShipOne were from the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center. Flights were numbered, starting with flight 01 on May 20, 2003. One or two letters are appended to the number to indicate the type of mission. An appended C indicates that the flight was a captive carry, G indicates an unpowered glide, and P indicates a powered flight. If the actual flight differs in category from the intended flight, two letters are appended: the first indicating the intended mission and the second the mission actually performed.

SpaceShipOne flights
Flight Date Top speed Altitude Duration Pilot
01C May 20, 2003 14.63 km[36] 1 h 48 min uncrewed
02C July 29, 2003 14 km 2 h 06 min Mike Melvill
03G August 7, 2003 278 km/h 14.33 km[36] 19 min 00 s Mike Melvill
04GC August 27, 2003 370 km/h[36] 14 km 1 h 06 min Mike Melvill
05G August 27, 2003 370 km/h 14.69 km[36] 10 min 30 s Mike Melvill
06G September 23, 2003 213 km/h 14.26 km[36] 12 min 15 s Mike Melvill
07G October 17, 2003 241 km/h 14.08 km[36] 17 min 49 s Mike Melvill
08G November 14, 2003 213 km/h 14.42 km[36] 19 min 55 s Peter Siebold
09G November 19, 2003 213 km/h 14.72 km[36] 12 min 25 s Mike Melvill
10G December 4, 2003 213 km/h 14.75 km[36] 13 min 14 s Brian Binnie
11P December 17, 2003 Mach 1.2 20.67 km[36] 18 min 10 s Brian Binnie
12G March 11, 2004 232 km/h 14.78 km[36] 18 min 30 s Peter Siebold
13P April 8, 2004 Mach 1.6 32.00 km[36] 16 min 27 s Peter Siebold
14P May 13, 2004 Mach 2.5 64.43 km[36] 20 min 44 s Mike Melvill
15P June 21, 2004 Mach 2.9 100.124 km[36] 24 min 05 s Mike Melvill
16P September 29, 2004 Mach 2.92 102.93 km[36] 24 min 11 s Mike Melvill
17P October 4, 2004 Mach 3.09 112.014 km[36] 23 min 56 s Brian Binnie
 North American X-15Space ShuttleBuranSpaceShipOneBoeing X-37Atlas V
SpaceShipOne ranks among the world's first spaceplanes in the first 50 years of human spaceflight, with the North American X-15, Space Shuttle, Buran, and Boeing X-37. SpaceShipOne is the second spaceplane to have launched from a mother ship, preceded only by the North American X-15.

The flights were accompanied by two chase planes—an Extra 300 owned and flown by Chuck Coleman, and a Beechcraft Starship.[37]

SpaceShipTwo

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VSS Enterprise flights

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Sources:[38][39][40][41]

Legend
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Code Detail
GFxx Glide Flight
CCxx Captive Carry Flight
CFxx Cold Flow Flight
PFxx Powered Flight
Fxx Feathering deployed
Flights
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Flight designation Date Duration Maximum altitude Top speed Pilot / co-pilot Notes
41 / GF01 10 October 2010 13 min 46,000 feet (14,000 m) 180 knots (210 mph; 330 km/h) EAS 2 g Siebold / Alsbury
44 / GF02 28 October 2010 10 min, 51 sec 230 knots (260 mph; 430 km/h) EAS 3 g Stucky / Alsbury
45 / GF03 17 November 2010 11 min, 39 sec 246 knots (283 mph; 456 km/h) EAS 3.5 g Siebold / Nichols
47 / GF04 13 January 2011 11 min, 34 sec 250 knots (290 mph; 460 km/h) EAS 3.8 g Stucky / Nichols
56 / GF05 22 April 2011 14 min, 31 sec Siebold / Shane
57 / GF06 27 April 2011 16 min, 7 sec Stucky / Alsbury
58 / GF07 4 May 2011 11 min, 5 sec 51,500 feet (15,700 m) 15,500 feet per minute (4,700 m/min) Siebold / Nichols F01
59 / GF08 10 May 2011 13 min, 2 sec Stucky / Shane
60 / GF09 19 May 2011 11 min, 32 sec Siebold / Binnie
61 / GF10 25 May 2011 10 min, 14 sec Above 50,000 feet (15,000 m) Stucky / Binnie F02
62 / (CC12) 9 June 2011 Siebold / Shane Release failure during flight intended as GF11
64 / GF11 14 June 2011 13 min, 18 sec Siebold / Shane
65 / GF12 15 June 2011 10 min, 32 sec Stucky / Nichols
66 / GF13 21 June 2011 8 min, 55 sec Siebold / Nichols
67 / GF14 23 June 2011 7 min, 33 sec Stucky / Nichols
68 / GF15 27 June 2011 7 min, 39 sec Siebold / Binnie
73 / GF16 29 September 2011 7 min, 15 sec Stucky / Nichols / Persall F03
87 / GF17 26 June 2012 11 min, 22 sec Siebold / Alsbury
88 / GF18 29 June 2012 13 min Stucky / Mackay
90 / GF19 18 July 2012 10 min, 39 sec Siebold / Nichols
91 / GF20 2 August 2012 8 min Stucky / Nichols F04
92 / GF21 7 August 2012 9 min, 52 sec Siebold / Colmer F05
93 / GF22 11 August 2012 8 min, 2 sec Stucky / Binnie
109 / GF23 19 December 2012 13 min, 24 sec Stucky / Alsbury
113 / GF24 3 April 2013 9 min Stucky / Nichols F06
114 / CF01 12 April 2013 10 min, 48 sec Stucky / Alsbury
115 / PF01[42][43] 29 April 2013 13 min 56,000 feet (17,000 m) Mach 1.22 Stucky / Alsbury
130 / GF25 25 July 2013 11 min, 52 sec Stucky / Mackay
131 / GF26 8 August 2013 10 min Stucky / Mackay F07
132 / PF02 5 September 2013 14 min 69,000 feet (21,000 m) Mach 1.43 Stucky / Nichols F08
141 / GF27 11 December 2013. 11 min Stucky / Masucci
147 / PF03 10 January 2014 12 min, 43 sec 72,000 feet (22,000 m)[44] Mach 1.4 Mackay / Stucky[45] F09
149 / GF28 17 January 2014 14 min, 12 sec Siebold / Sturckow
156 / GF29[46] 29 July 2014 12 min Masucci / Siebold
164 / CF02[46] 28 August 2014 13 min Siebold / Alsbury
170 / GF30[47] 7 October 2014 10 min, 30 sec Siebold / Sturckow[48] F10
?? / PF04 31 October 2014 0 min, 13 sec roughly 50,000 feet (15,000 m)[49] ? (at least Mach 0.92) Siebold / Alsbury[50] Unintended feathering destroys vehicle in-flight

VSS Unity flights

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Legend
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Code Detail
GFxx Glide Flight
CCxx Captive Carry Flight
CFxx Cold Flow Flight
PFxx Powered Flight
Fxx Feathering deployed
Flights
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Flight designation Date Duration Maximum altitude Top speed Pilot / co-pilot / passengers Notes
01 / CC01 8 September 2016 15.2 km (50,000 ft) Stucky / Mackay [51]
02 / CC02 1 November 2016 Strong winds, no release during flight intended as GF01[52]
03 / CC03 3 November 2016 Strong winds, no release during second attempt at GF01
04 / CC04 30 November 2016 Test of minor modifications
05 / GF01 3 December 2016 10 minutes[53] 16.8 km (55,000 ft) Mach 0.6 Stucky / Mackay First Glide Flight[54][55][56][57]
06 / GF02 22 December 2016 Stucky / Mackay [58]
07 / GF03 24 February 2017 Sturckow / Mackay 3rd Glide Flight
08 / GF04 1 May 2017 Stucky / Masucci F01[59]
09 / CF01 1 June 2017 Mackay / Sturckow [60]
10 / GF06 4 August 2017 Mackay / Sturckow First flight with major propulsion components aboard.[61][62]
11 / GF07 11 January 2018 Mach 0.9 Stucky / Masucci [63][64][65][66]
12 / PF01 5 April 2018 25.7 km (84,300 ft) Mach 1.87 Stucky / Mackay F02[67]
13 / PF02 29 May 2018 34.9 km (114,501 ft)[68][69] Mach 1.9 Mackay / Stucky Test of changed center of gravity as passenger seats carried for first time. F03[70]
14 / PF03 26 July 2018 52.1 km (170,800 ft)[71] Mach 2.47[71] Mackay / Masucci[72] Reached Mesosphere for first time.[73]
15 / VP-03 13 December 2018 82.7 km (271,330 ft) Mach 2.9[74] Stucky / Sturckow Reached outer space for first time according to the US definition of the space border.[75]
16 / VF-01 22 February 2019 89.9 km (295,007 ft)[76][77] Mach 3.04 [76] Mackay / Masucci / Moses[76] Carried third crew member (1 in the passenger cabin) for the first time [76]
17 / GF08 1 May 2020 15.24 km (50,000 ft)[78] Mach 0.7 [78] Mackay / Sturckow [78] First flight from New Mexico [78]
18 / GF09 25 June 2020 15.54 km (51,000 ft)[79] Mach 0.85 [79] Stucky / Masucci [79]
19 12 December 2020 Mackay / Sturckow First attempted crewed spaceflight from New Mexico, aborted due to computer malfunction, engine ignited and automatically turned off.[80]
21 / VF-03 22 May 2021 89.23 km (55.45 mi) Mackay / Sturckow First crewed spaceflight (above 50 miles) from New Mexico[81]
22 11 July 2021 86.1 km (53.5 mi)[82] Mackay / Masucci / Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses, Richard Branson First fully crewed[note 1] flight included Richard Branson.
24 / GF10 26 April 2023 9 minutes 13.5 km (47,000 ft) Sturckow / Pecile [83]
25 25 May 2023 14 minutes 87.2 km (54.2 mi) Mach 2.94 Masucci / Sturckow / Moses / Mays / Gilbert / Huie [84][85]
Galactic 01 29 June 2023 13:50 minutes 85.1 km (52.9 mi) Mach 2.88 Masucci / Pecile / Villadei / Carlucci / Pandolfi / Bennett First VSS Unity commercial service flight, carrying members of the Italian Air Force.[86]
Galactic 02 10 August 2023 15:38 minutes 88.5 km (55.0 mi) Mach 3.00 Sturckow / Latimer / Moses / Goodwin / Schahaff / Mayers First VSS Unity flight carrying a private astronaut.[87]
Galactic 03 8 September 2023 12:37 minutes 88.6 km (55.1 mi) Mach 2.95 Masucci / Pecile / Moses / Baxter / Reynard / Nash[88]
Galactic 04 6 October 2023 14:23 minutes 87.4 km (54.3 mi) Mach 2.95 Latimer / Sturckow / Moses / Rosano / Beattie / Salim[89]
Galactic 05 2 November 2023 14:20 minutes 87.2 km (54.2 mi) Mach 2.96 Masucci / Latimer / Bennett / Stern / Gerardi / Maisonrouge[90]
Galactic 06 26 January 2024 88.8 km (55.2 mi) Mach 2.98 Sturckow / Pecile / Borozdina / Vaughn / Haider / Kornswiet
Galactic 07 8 June 2024 87.5 km (54.4 mi) Mach 2.96 Pecile / Janjua / Atasever/ Manenti /Pergament / Sadhwani Final Unity flight

Notes

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  1. ^ The SpaceShipTwo vehicles (like VSS Unity) were originally designed for 8 people, 6 passengers and 2 pilots, so whether this flight was fully-crewed is debatable. But it is true that at the time of this flight, only 6 seats (4 passengers, 2 pilots) were installed in VSS Unity, so in this sense this flight was fully-crewed. Also, no SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Unity in particular, ever had more than 6 seats installed and never flew with more than 6 people (2 pilots, 4 passengers) onboard, so in this sense this flight was also fully-crewed.

References

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  69. ^ "Second SpaceShipTwo makes second powered test flight – SpaceNews.com". spacenews.com. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  70. ^ Wall, Mike (29 May 2018). "Success! Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Space Plane Aces 2nd Powered Test Flight". space.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  71. ^ a b "Into the Mesosphere at Mach 2". Virgin Galactic. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  72. ^ Boyle, Alan (26 July 2018). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane sails through third supersonic flight". geekwire.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  73. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (26 July 2018). "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Space Plane Aces Test Flight, Reaching Mesosphere for the 1st Time". Space.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  74. ^ Grush, Lauren (13 December 2018). "Virgin Galactic's spaceplane finally makes it to space for the first time". theverge.com. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  75. ^ "Branson's Virgin Galactic successfully reaches space". BBC. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  76. ^ a b c d "Virgin Galactic". www.virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  77. ^ Bartels, Meghan (22 February 2019). "Virgin Galactic Reaches Space Again, Flies Test Passenger for 1st Time". space.com. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  78. ^ a b c d "Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipTwo Completes First Flight From Spaceport America". www.virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  79. ^ a b c "Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipTwo Completes Second Flight From Spaceport America". www.virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  80. ^ Gebhardt, Chris; Burghardt, Thomas (12 December 2020). "VSS Unity aborts after engine start, safely lands with crew back at Spaceport America".
  81. ^ "Virgin Galactic rocket plane flies to edge of space". BBC News. 22 May 2021.
  82. ^ "Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes First Fully Crewed Spaceflight". 11 July 2021.
  83. ^ "Virgin Galactic completes glide flight from Spaceport America". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 26 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  84. ^ "Virgin Galactic completes successful spaceflight". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  85. ^ "Virgin Galactic completes Unity 25 spaceflight in key final test before commercial service". CNBC News. 25 May 2023.
  86. ^ Jonathan McDowell [@planet4589] (29 June 2023). "Galactic 01 stats: launch 1528:38 UTC, apogee 85.1 km, flight time from drop to main gear touchdown 13m50s. Drop location EBR P3 in my launch points list (107.0W 33.3N)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  87. ^ Jonathan McDowell [@planet4589] (10 August 2023). "I don't quite agree with these numbers. I have takeoff of White Knight 2 at 1429:45 UTC (in agreement with their 8.30 am MDT) but landing of SS2 at 1532:48 UTC (9.32 am MDT). Release time 1517:10 UTC and SS2 free flight time 15:38 with apogee 88.5 km" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  88. ^ "Core memory unlocked. Welcome to space, #Galactic03. Congratulations, 014, 015, and 016!". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  89. ^ "Virgin Galactic completes fifth successful flight in five months". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  90. ^ "Virgin Galactic Completes Sixth Successful Spaceflight in Six Months". Virgin Galactic (Press release). 2 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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