VSS ''Unity''

VSS Unity
Type Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
Manufacturer The Spaceship Company
Construction number 2[1]
Registration N202VG [2]
First flight 8 September 2016[3] (captive carry flight)
3 December 2016 (glide flight)
5 April 2018 (powered flight)
Owners and operators Virgin Galactic

VSS Unity[4] (Tail number: N202VG[2]), previously referred to as VSS Voyager, is a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered manned spaceplane. It is the second SpaceShipTwo to be built and will be used as part of the Virgin Galactic fleet.

The spacecraft was rolled out on 19 February 2016[5][6] and completed ground-based system integration testing in September 2016, prior to its first flight on 8 September 2016.[3][7][8]

Overview

Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity rollout, 19 February 2016, FAITH hangar, Mojave, California

VSS Unity, the second SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane for Virgin Galactic,[9] is the first SpaceShipTwo built by The Spaceship Company. The ship's name was announced on 19 February 2016.[4] Prior to the naming announcement, the craft was referred to as SpaceShipTwo, Serial Number Two.[10][11] There was speculation in 2004 that Serial Number Two would be named VSS Voyager,[12] an unofficial name that was repeatedly used in media coverage.[13][14][15] The name Unity was chosen by British physicist Stephen Hawking. Hawking's eye is also used as the model for the eye logo on the side of Unity.[16]

History

The manufacture of Unity began in 2012.[2] The spacecraft's registration, N202VG, was filed in September 2014.[17] As of early November 2014, the build of Unity was about 90 percent structurally complete, and 65 percent complete overall. As of April 2015, Unity was approximately 75% complete,[18] and initial ground tests were projected to be able to begin as early as late 2015,[19] after being projected as early as mid-2015 as of November 2014.[1][20][21] On 21 May 2015, Unity reached the milestone of bearing the weight of the airframe on its own wheels.[22] The spaceship was unveiled at a rollout event on 19 February 2016, as Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson had projected in November 2015; ground and flight testing commenced thereafter.[23][24]

VSS Unity is the second SpaceShipTwo to be completed; the first, VSS Enterprise, was destroyed in a crash in late October 2014.[9][14]

After rollout and unveiling, a phase of testing called "Integrated Vehicle Ground Testing" began on VSS Unity in February 2016.[8]

Test flight program

VSS Unity will undergo a test regimen similar to VSS Enterprise, then will embark on testing beyond what Enterprise experienced. The test flights are expected to be fewer, as Enterprise has already tested the design's responses under numerous conditions. For each flight test, the White Knight Two aircraft carries Unity to altitude. Testing began with captive carry flights, in which Unity was not released from its carrier aircraft. Testing then progressed to free-flight glide testing, and will continue with powered test flights. It is possible that only 2-3 flights under each regime previously tested will be performed, instead of the 5 or 10 that Enterprise performed.[25]

On 8 September 2016, Virgin Galactic commenced flight testing of Unity with a captive-carry flight.[7] On 1 November 2016, Virgin Galactic conducted another captive-carry flight of Unity but cancelled the glide portion of the flight because of wind speed.[26] On 3 November and 30 November, additional captive-carry flights took place.[27][28][29]

In July 2017, Richard Branson suggested that the craft was to begin powered tests at three-week intervals.[30] In September 2017, CEO George Whitesides suggested that engine testing was complete, and that only a "small number of glide flights" remained before VSS Unity would begin powered test flights.[31] The first powered flight test took place on 5 April 2018 when a 30-second rocket firing accelerated Unity to a speed of Mach 1.87 and an altitude of 84,271 ft (25,686 m).[32][33] The first powered test flight of Unity exceeded the altitude of all powered test flights of its predecessor, Enterprise.[34]

List of test flights

Legend

Code Detail
GFxx Glide Flight
CCxx Captive Carry Flight
CFxx Cold Flow Flight
PFxx Powered Flight
Fxx Feathering deployed
Flight designation Date Duration Maximum altitude Top speed Pilot / co-pilot Notes
01 / CC01 8 September 2016 15.2 km (50,000 ft) Stucky / Mackay [35]
02 / CC02 1 November 2016 Strong winds, no release during flight intended as GF01[36]
03 / CC03 3 November 2016 Strong winds, no release during second attempt at GF01
04 / CC04 30 November 2016 Test of minor modifications
05 / GF01 3 December 2016 10 minutes[37] 16.8km (55,000 ft) Mach 0.6 Stucky / Mackay [38][39][40][41]
06 / GF02 22 December 2016 Stucky / Mackay [42]
07 / GF03 24 February 2017 Sturckow / Mackay [43]
08 / GF04 1 May 2017 Stucky / Masucci F01[44]
09 / CF01 1 June 2017 Mackay / Sturckow [45]
10 / GF06 4 August 2017 Mackay / Sturckow First flight with major propulsion components aboard.[46][47]
11 / GF07 11 January 2018 Mach 0.9 Stucky / Masucci [48][49][50][51]
12 / PF01 5 April 2018 25.7 km (84,300 ft) Mach 1.87 Stucky / Mackay F02[52]
13 / PF02 29 May 2018 34.9 km (114,501 ft)[53][54] Mach 1.9 Mackay / Stucky Test of changed center of gravity as passenger seats carried for first time. F03[55]
14 / PF03 26 July 2018 52 km (170,800 ft) [56] Mach 2.47[56] Mackay / Masucci[57] Reached Mesosphere for first time.[58]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Luke Villapaz (5 November 2014). "Virgin Galactic Hopes To Restart SpaceShipTwo Tests In Summer 2015". International Business Times.
  2. 1 2 3 Irene Klotz (5 November 2014). "New spaceship restoring hope after Virgin Galactic crash". Reuters. SpaceDaily. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity's First Flight Test Completed - Virgin Galactic". virgingalactic.com. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 @virgingalactic (19 February 2016). "Virgin Galactic announces new ship name" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ "New SpaceShipTwo Rollout Friday". AVweb. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Virgin Galactic unveils new space tourism rocket plane". CBC News. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Virgin Galactic's new SpaceShipTwo gets off the ground, two years after fatal mishap". GeekWire. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  8. 1 2 "Update from Mojave: Testing Testing 1-2-3". Virgin Galactic. 2016-03-10. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  9. 1 2 "Mojave Update: SpaceShipTwo Construction". virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Rosenberg, Zach. "The Making of SpaceShipTwo". Air & Space Smithsonian. Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Crane, Rachel. "Inside Virgin Galactic's newest passenger spaceship". Inside Virgin Galactic's Space Tourism Rocket Factory. CNN. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "One small step for space tourism..." The Economist. 16 December 2004.
  13. ↑ Roll, Erin (2013-11-21). "Glen Ridge resident helping to launch commercial spaceflight". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  14. 1 2 Dean, Lewis (2014-10-31). "Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Crash: Pilot Dies After 'Serious' In-Flight Problem". International Business Times. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  15. ↑ Harlow, John (2014-11-09). "Virgin: Our spaceship will be flying by April". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  16. ↑ USA Today (2016-02-19). "New Virgin Galactic spacecraft gets rock star unveiling". Youtube.
  17. ↑ "N202VG is Reserved". FAA. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  18. ↑ Jonathan O'Callaghan (21 April 2015). "Virgin Galactic will fly again: Company prepares to test new spacecraft after fatal 2014 crash". Daily Main (London).
  19. ↑ "Virgin Galactic 'to test new craft by end of year'". The Telegraph (London). 21 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "Virgin Galactic CEO Sees New Spacecraft Ready Next Year". Reuters. Newsweek. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
  21. ↑ Alan Boyle (5 November 2014). "The Next SpaceShipTwo Takes Shape in Virgin Galactic Hangar". NBC News.
  22. ↑ Alan Boyle (22 May 2015). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo 2.0 Puts 'Weight on Wheels'". NBC News.
  23. ↑ Plautz, Jessica; Kramer, Miriam (2015-11-02). "Richard Branson: Virgin Galactic's next space plane is coming in February". Mashable. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  24. ↑ "Video - Virgin Galactic: second SpaceShipTwo to be rolled out on 19 February". aeronewstv.com. 14 January 2016.
  25. ↑ Jeff Foust (14 October 2015). "SpaceShipTwo Bounces Back to Rubber Fuel". SpaceNews.
  26. ↑ Tariq Malik (1 November 2016). "Virgin Galactic Postpones 1st Glide Test with New SpaceShipTwo". Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Virgin Galactic Looks to Its Next SpaceShipTwo Flight Test". inverse.com. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  28. ↑ Messier, Doug (4 November 2016). "Last Minute Scrub of SpaceShipTwo Glide Flight". parabolicarc.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "Virgin Galactic conducts captive carry flight of SpaceShipTwo". spaceflightinsider.com. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  30. ↑ Einhorn, Bruce (5 July 2017). "Branson Aims Mid-2018 Space Trip as Virgin Resumes Powered Tests". Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  31. ↑ Sheetz, Michael (7 September 2017). "Virgin Galactic is returning to powered flights, CEO says, in a crucial next step for the spaceship company". CNBC. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  32. ↑ Second SpaceShipTwo performs first powered test flight, SpaceNews, Jeff Foust, 5 April 2018
  33. ↑ Grady, Mary (10 April 2018). "First Supersonic, Powered Flight For Virgin's Unity". AVweb. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  34. ↑ Clark, Stephen (April 5, 2018). "Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered test flight since 2014". spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Virgin Galactic: SpaceShipTwo beginnt Flugerprobung". flugrevue.de. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  36. ↑ "Virgin Galactic Postpones 1st Glide Test with New SpaceShipTwo". space.com. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  37. ↑ "Update from Mojave: Successful First Glide Flight Test for VSS Unity - Virgin Galactic". Virgin Galactic. 2016-12-03. Archived from the original on 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  38. ↑ "Bransons "VSS Unity" absolvierte ersten Gleitflug". krone.at. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  39. ↑ "Virgin Galactic spaceship makes first glide flight". phys.org. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  40. ↑ David Millward (4 December 2016). "Virgin Galactic's space programme moves forward as SpaceShipTwo carries out first successful glide test". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  41. ↑ Weston Williams (5 December 2016). "Space tourism: Virgin Galactic makes successful glide test". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  42. ↑ Boyle, Alan (22 December 2016). "Virgin Galactic sneaks in just one more SpaceShipTwo glide test to cap off 2016". GeekWire. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  43. ↑ Malik, Tariq (25 February 2017). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Aces 3rd Glide Test Flight". space.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  44. ↑ "Update from Mojave: First Feather Flight of VSS Unity Completed". Virgin Galactic. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  45. ↑ Wall, Mike (1 June 2017). "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Makes 5th 'Glide Flight' (Photos)". space.com. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  46. ↑ "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity edges closer to space". newatlas.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  47. ↑ "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity Flies with Propulsion Systems Installed and Live". Virgin Galactic. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  48. ↑ Camacho, Marian (January 11, 2018). "SpaceShip Two test flight a success". kob.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  49. ↑ Krishna, Swapna (January 11, 2018). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is almost ready for powered tests". engadget.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity successfully completes high speed glide flight". virgingalactic.com. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  51. ↑ Wall, Mike (11 January 2018). "Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Soars on 7th Glide Flight (Photo)". space.com. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  52. ↑ Sheetz, Michael (April 5, 2018). "Virgin Galactic completes first rocket powered, supersonic flight of new spacecraft Unity". cnbc.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  53. ↑ "The second powered flight of Virgin Galactic's spaceplane featured extra passenger seats". theverge.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  54. ↑ "Second SpaceShipTwo makes second powered test flight - SpaceNews.com". spacenews.com. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  55. ↑ Wall, Mike (29 May 2018). "Success! Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Space Plane Aces 2nd Powered Test Flight". space.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  56. 1 2 "Into the Mesosphere at Mach 2". Virgin Galactic. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  57. ↑ Boyle, Alan (26 July 2018). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane sails through third supersonic flight". geekwire.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  58. ↑ Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Space Plane Aces Test Flight, Reaching Mesosphere for the 1st Time


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