Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two, the first craft ever built to take tourists into space, completed its maiden rocket-powered flight yesterday and could head into space by the end of next year, the company said.
The 10-minute flight saw SpaceShip Two break the sound barrier to reach a speed of Mach 1.2.
“The first powered flight of Virgin Spaceship Enterprise was without any doubt our single most important flight test to date,” Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson said.
“Today’s supersonic success opens the way for a rapid expansion of the spaceship’s powered flight envelope, with a very realistic goal of full space flight by the year’s end.” The spacecraft is designed for sub-orbital space flight with a crew of two plus six paying passengers, who will experience zero gravity and be able to see Earth from the blackness of space.
SpaceShip Two was launched yesterday from its massive carrier aircraft from a height of 47,000 feet (14,300 metres) and fired its engines for 16 seconds before gliding to a landing at Virgin Galactic’s base in the Mojave Desert in southern California.
The Company has accepted more than 70 million dollars in deposits from approximately 580 potential passengers, about 10 per cent more than the number of people who have ever gone to space.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Virgin Galactic has invested more than 350 million dollars in the project so far.