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SpaceShipTwo

SpaceShipTwo
Picture of the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity at the unveiling event in Mojave, California
SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity in the Virgin Galactic Final Assembly Integration Test Hangar
ManufacturerScaled Composites
(VSS Enterprise)
The Spaceship Company
(VSS Unity)
Country of originUnited States
OperatorVirgin Galactic
ApplicationsSuborbital space tourism
Specifications
Spacecraft typeCrewed spaceplane
Launch mass13,154 kg (29,000 lb)
Dry mass6,123 kg (13,500 lb)
Crew capacity8 (planned); 6 (actual)
Volume14 m3 (500 cu ft) pressurized
RegimeSuborbital
Dimensions
Length18.3 m (60 ft)
Height5.5 m (18 ft)
Width8.3 m (27 ft)
Capacity
Payload to Suborbital
Mass600 kg (1,300 lb)
Production
StatusRetired
Built2
Retired1 (VSS Unity)
Lost1 (VSS Enterprise)
Maiden launch10 October 2010 (glide flight)
29 April 2013 (powered flight)
13 December 2018 (spaceflight)
Related spacecraft
Derived fromSpaceShipOne
DerivativesSpaceShip III
Engine details
Powered by1 RocketMotorTwo engine
Maximum thrust310 kN (70,000 lbf)
Specific impulse250 s
PropellantNitrous oxide / Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene

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 Scaled Composites White Knight Two, 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.[1] The spaceship was officially unveiled to the public on 7 December 2009 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.[2] On 29 April 2013, after nearly three years of unpowered testing, the first SS2 constructed successfully performed its first powered test flight.[3]

Virgin Galactic planned to operate a fleet of five SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes in a private passenger-carrying service[4][5][6][7] and took bookings for some time, with a suborbital flight carrying a ticket price of US$250,000 in 2015.[8] The spaceplane was also used to carry scientific payloads for NASA and other organizations.[9]

On 31 October 2014, during a test flight, the first SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise broke up in flight and crashed in the Mojave desert.[10][11][12][13] An investigation found that the craft's descent device deployed too early.[14][15] One pilot, Michael Alsbury, was killed; the other was treated for a serious shoulder injury after parachuting from the stricken spacecraft.[16][17]

The second SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, VSS Unity, was unveiled on 19 February 2016.[18][19] The vehicle underwent flight testing 2016-2023.[20][21][22] Its first flight to space (above 50 miles altitude), VSS Unity VP03, took place on 13 December 2018.[23][24] The first operational flight of Unity (defined as the first flight flying passengers that were not Virgin Galactic employees) was Galactic 01 on 29 June 2023. The final flight of Unity was Galactic 07 on 8 June 2024.

  1. ^ "sRLV platforms compared". NASA. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2011. SpaceShipTwo: Type: HTHL/Piloted Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Amos, Jonathan (8 December 2009). "Richard Branson unveils Virgin Galactic spaceplane". BBC News. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  3. ^ "Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceship ignites engine in flight". BBC News. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Space Ship Completes 24th Test Flight in Mojave". Hispanic Business. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Virgin Galactic to Launch Passengers on Private Spaceship in 2013". SPACE.com. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  6. ^ ""Virgin Galactic space tourism could begin in 2013"". BBC News. 26 October 2011.
  7. ^ John Schwartz (23 January 2008). "New Tourist Spacecraft Unveiled". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
  8. ^ Fly With Us Archived 12 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Virgin Galactic Retrieved 5 November 2015
  9. ^ "Virgin spaceship aims to be science lab". BBC News. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  10. ^ Chang, Kenneth; Schwartz, John (31 October 2014). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes in New Setback for Commercial Spaceflight". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  11. ^ Foust, Jeff (31 October 2014). "SpaceShipTwo Destroyed in Fatal Test Flight Accident". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes During Flight Test". NBC News. 31 October 2014.
  13. ^ Durden, Rick (31 October 2014). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes". AVweb. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  14. ^ Chang, Kenneth (3 November 2014). "Investigators Focus on Tail Booms in Crash of Space Plane". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  15. ^ Melley, Brian (3 November 2014). "Spaceship's descent device deployed prematurely". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  16. ^ Klotz, Irene (3 November 2014). "SpaceShipTwo's Rocket Engine Did Not Cause Fatal Crash". Discovery News. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  17. ^ "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashes". 31 October 2014.
  18. ^ "New SpaceShipTwo Rollout Friday". AVweb. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Virgin Galactic unveils new space tourism rocket plane". CBC News. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference csm20161205 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference vg20160310 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity's First Flight Test Completed - Virgin Galactic". virgingalactic.com. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn20181213 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Grush, Lauren (13 December 2018). "Virgin Galactic's spaceplane finally makes it to space for the first time". The Verge. Retrieved 13 December 2018.

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