Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Unity, has completed its second glide flight held at the Spaceport America facility in Southern New Mexico.
Reaching speeds of Mach 0.85 during the test, the VSS Unity was released at around 50,000 feet from SpaceShipTwo. Company CEO, George Whitesides, said, “It was an important test that, pending data review, means we can now start preparing the vehicles for powered flight. Our focus for this year remains unchanged on ensuring the vehicles and our operations are prepared for long-term, regular commercial spaceflight service.”
Spaceport America has experienced delays and cancellations due to the global pandemic but continues to provide essential services as set out by the Governor. Spaceport America’s employees are predominately teleworking from home, with limited staff supporting reduced operations for Spaceport customers.
Recently, Spaceport America welcomed two new related tenants, HAPSMobile Inc., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. and minority-owned by AeroVironment, Inc. Their specialized high-altitude aircraft has been assembled at the facility, and testing is due to start in the coming months.
Executive Comments
New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s Director of Aerospace Operations, Dr. Bill Gutman, said “Virgin Galactic continues to work steadily towards their goal of flying aspiring astronauts to space from New Mexico. We are excited by their progress.”
“While the pandemic has slowed things down across our state, Virgin Galactic and our three other tenants have continued with their essential work. We have now seen two amazing glide flights by Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo in the last two months at our facility,” said Spaceport America’s Director of Site Operations, Chris Lopez.
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Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity Completes First Glide Test at Spaceport America