After several setbacks that delayed the launch of its first commercial passenger flight, Richard Bransons’ Virgin Galactic announced it is targeting late May for the fifth-ever space-flight of SpaceShipTwo, also known as VVS Unity. If the flight succeeds, the space tourism company hopes to launch its first commercial flight in June. The mission will take off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Virgin Galactic’s recently-opened an operations hub.
Each flight performed by Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity has been part of a test campaign. The upcoming flight in May, called Unity 25, is, expected to be the last test flight before the spaceplane’s space tourism services go fully operational. If all goes according to plan, it would be the first flight of Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane since July 2021, when its founder Branson flew to suborbital space with three other crew members. Prior to the first private space trip, Virgin Galactic will send four Virgin Galactic employees — Jamila Gilbert, Christopher Huie, Luke Mays, and Beth Moses — to space. Mike Masucci and C.J. Sturckow will pilot Unity.
Unity 25 is the final assessment of the full spaceflight system and astronaut experience before commercial service opens in late June.
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic launches people into suborbital space for a brief window of time, so they can experience Earth from space. The space company’s primary spacecraft, VVS Unity, is a reusable spaceplane designed to carry passengers and scientific payloads. It is launched from a carrier aircraft called WhiteKnightTwo, which takes it to a high altitude before releasing it. Once released, VVS Unity’s rocket engines ignite, propelling it into suborbital space. Passengers on board would experience several minutes of weightlessness and get a view of Earth from space before the spacecraft glides back to Earth for landing.
As it seems, Virgin Galactic could be on the verge of beginning commercial space operations. Its main competitor, Blue Origin, has already flown several commercial crews to suborbital space, but its New Shepard rocket has been grounded since last year after an anomaly triggered its escape capsule system during an uncrewed scientific mission.
