Virgin Galactic spaceship runs first supersonic test flight over Mojave desert

Over the Mojave desert the world’s first commercial spaceline owned by Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s aabar Investments PJS, completed the first rocket-powered flight of its space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo (SS2).



The SS2 was docked to the WhiteKnightTwo (WK2), and after the pair reached the 47,000 foot threshold which took about 45 minutes in climb time to achieve, the SS2 was released. After a short dead-stick drop during which time the flight data and stable control were verified. Once the systems had been verified the ignition was triggered, and the SS2 shot up to 55,000 feet in a mere 16 seconds, but that was enough to achieve Mach 1.2!

Virgin Galactic notes that the entire rocket-powered flight test lasted just over 10 minutes, culminating in a smooth landing for SS2 in Mojave.

“The rocket motor ignition went as planned, with the expected burn duration, good engine performance and solid vehicle handling qualities throughout,” said Virgin Galactic President & CEO George Whitesides. “The successful outcome of this test marks a pivotal point for our program. We will now embark on a handful of similar powered flight tests, and then make our first test flight to space.”