nandu
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Space ShipTwo makes maiden test flight
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the world's first manned commercial spaceship, has successfully completed the captive carry flight from Mojave Air and Spaceport.
The Space vehicle made a 2-hour, 54-minute flight on Monday attached to the wing of its carrier aircraft, the WhiteKnightTwo, according to a media report.
"This very first captive carry was a huge success and both the mothership and spaceship looked absolutely stunning against the blue back drop of the Mojave skies," a company statement said.
The VSS Enterprise test flight programme will continue through 2010 and 2011, progressing from captive carry to independent glide and then powered flight, prior to the start of commercial operations, it added.
SS2 has been designed to take many thousands of private astronauts into space. The spaceship is capable of carrying up to 6 passenger astronauts and up to 2 pilot astronauts into space on a sub-orbital flight.
Virgin Galactic plans to start flying customers aboard the craft on a regular basis after completion of up to 100 test flights.
According to designers, a SpaceShipTwo vehicle will take the passengers to an altitude of 110 km (68.3 miles) after being dropped from its carrier at an altitude of about 50,000 feet (16 km).
The 2.5-hour flight will feature a five-minute period of weightlessness, when passengers will be able to release themselves from their seats and float around the cabin.
http://www.brahmand.com
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the world's first manned commercial spaceship, has successfully completed the captive carry flight from Mojave Air and Spaceport.
The Space vehicle made a 2-hour, 54-minute flight on Monday attached to the wing of its carrier aircraft, the WhiteKnightTwo, according to a media report.
"This very first captive carry was a huge success and both the mothership and spaceship looked absolutely stunning against the blue back drop of the Mojave skies," a company statement said.
The VSS Enterprise test flight programme will continue through 2010 and 2011, progressing from captive carry to independent glide and then powered flight, prior to the start of commercial operations, it added.
SS2 has been designed to take many thousands of private astronauts into space. The spaceship is capable of carrying up to 6 passenger astronauts and up to 2 pilot astronauts into space on a sub-orbital flight.
Virgin Galactic plans to start flying customers aboard the craft on a regular basis after completion of up to 100 test flights.
According to designers, a SpaceShipTwo vehicle will take the passengers to an altitude of 110 km (68.3 miles) after being dropped from its carrier at an altitude of about 50,000 feet (16 km).
The 2.5-hour flight will feature a five-minute period of weightlessness, when passengers will be able to release themselves from their seats and float around the cabin.
http://www.brahmand.com
