Posted on 12/12/2020 3:09:05 PM PST by BenLurkin
Virgin Galactic was to perform their first human spaceflight of their VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo vehicle from Spaceport America, just south of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, today.
The spaceship and crew took off at 10:24 EST (15:24 UTC) firmly attached to their WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft from the runway at Spaceport America. The combined aircraft climbed to altitude before Unity was released at 11:15 EST (16:15 UTC).
After release, Unity lit its engine but aborted one second into firing. The ship and pilots executed the proper procedures and brought Unity to a successful, unpowered descent and landing. The crew is safe and manually landed Unity after the abort.
Onboard the craft were two veteran astronauts, former NASA Shuttle pilot and commander CJ Sturckow and Virgin Galactic pilot and astronaut David Mackay as well as NASA science payloads from the agency’s Flight Opportunities Program.
(Excerpt) Read more at nasaspaceflight.com ...
It takes a set to fly in these prototypes. Space X just recently sent up a ship (unmanned) successfully but blew up when it landed.
bttt
This was also supposed to be the first rocket-powered test flight Virgin Galactic carried out in New Mexico, where a glitzy spaceport paid for by more than $200 million in mostly taxpayer money, has been waiting for nearly a decade for Virgin Galactic to move in and open for business. The company’s development program has endured years of delays for a variety of reasons, including a fatal 2014 crash that killed a test pilot, technology hangups, and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.
- https://keyt.com/news/money-and-business/2020/12/13/virgin-galactic-unexpectedly-aborts-test-flight-of-space-plane/
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