VSS Unity explained

VSS Unity (Virgin Space Ship Unity, registration: N202VG), previously referred to as VSS Voyager, is a retired SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It was the second SpaceShipTwo to be built and was part of the Virgin Galactic fleet. It first reached space as defined by the United States (above 50 miles or 80.5 km) on 13 December 2018, on the VP-03 mission.[1]

Unity was able to reach space as defined by the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the FAA, by going over 50 miles (80.5 km) above sea level. However, it was unable to go above the Kármán line, the FAI's defined space boundary of 100 km (62.1 miles).

VSS Unity was rolled out on 19 February 2016[2] [3] and completed ground-based system integration testing in September 2016, prior to its first flight on 8 September 2016.[4]

Unity was retired on 8 June 2024 after its final flight took place on that date, as Virgin Galactic shifted its focus to the next generation Delta-class vehicles.[5]

Overview

VSS Unity, the second SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane for Virgin Galactic,[6] was the first SpaceShipTwo built by The Spaceship Company. The ship's name was announced on 19 February 2016. Prior to the naming announcement, the craft was referred to as SpaceShipTwo, Serial Number Two.[7] [8] There was speculation in 2004 that Serial Number Two would be named VSS Voyager,[9] an unofficial name that was repeatedly used in media coverage.[10] [11] [12] The name Unity was chosen by British physicist Stephen Hawking. Hawking's eye was also used as the model for the eye logo on the side of Unity.[13]

History

The manufacture of Unity began in 2012. The spacecraft's registration, N202VG, was filed in September 2014.[14] As of early November 2014, the build of Unity was about 90 percent structurally complete, and 65 percent complete overall.As of April 2015, ground tests of Unity were projected to be able to begin as early as late 2015,[15] after being projected as early as mid-2015 as of November 2014.[16] [17] [18] On 21 May 2015, Unity reached the milestone of bearing the weight of the airframe on its own wheels.[19] The spaceship was unveiled on 19 February 2016,[20] as Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson had projected in November 2015; ground and flight testing commenced thereafter.[21] [22]

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

After rollout and unveiling, a phase of testing called "Integrated Vehicle Ground Testing" began on VSS Unity in February 2016.[23]

Test flight program

VSS Unity underwent a test regimen similar to VSS Enterprise and then embarked on testing beyond what Enterprise experienced. The test flights were expected to be fewer, as Enterprise had already tested the design's responses under numerous conditions. For each flight test, the White Knight Two aircraft carried 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 continued with powered test flights.[24]

On 8 September 2016, Virgin Galactic commenced flight testing of Unity with a captive-carry flight.[4] 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.[25] On 3 November and 30 November, additional captive-carry flights took place.[26] [27] [28]

In July 2017, Richard Branson suggested that the craft was to begin powered tests at three-week intervals.[29] 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.[30] 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 842710NaN0.[31] [32] The first powered test flight of Unity exceeded the altitude of all powered test flights of its predecessor, Enterprise.[33]

VSS Unity VP-03, the first suborbital spaceflight of VSS Unity was successfully completed on 13 December 2018, surpassing the 50miles altitude considered the boundary of outer space by NASA and the United States Air Force.[34] [35]

Following its February 2019 flight to space, VSS Unity began to undergo modifications including installation of the commercial cabin, and changes to cockpit displays.[36] Upon completion of these modifications, VSS Unity along with its carrier craft, VMS Eve, were moved to Spaceport America in New Mexico in February 2020.[37] After completing two additional glide tests in New Mexico in May and June 2020, VSS Unity underwent final modifications to the commercial cabin[38] and in July 2020, Virgin Galactic first publicly showed the interior of the spacecraft.[39]

Unity then continued the test flight program in the years 2020-2023. A notable flight occurred in 2021 when Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson flew aboard Unity to space. The final test flight (defined as final flight with only Virgin Galactic personnel onboard) was Virgin Galactic Unity 25 mission on 25 May 2023. The first operational flight of Unity (defined as the first flight flying passengers that were not Virgin Galactic employees) was Galactic 01 on 29 June 2023.

The flights of VSS Unity ended mid-2024 to focus the effort on the next generation Delta-class vehicles, expected for 2025–26.[40]

List of spaceflights by VSS Unity

Flight! style="text-align:left;"
DateOutcomeTop speedAltitudeCrew
VSS Unity VP-0313 December 2018Mach 2.9 [41] Mark P. Stucky and Frederick W. Sturckow
VSS Unity VF-0122 February 2019Mach 3.04 [42] [43] Dave Mackay, Michael Masucci, and Beth Moses (passenger)
VSS Unity VF-0212 December 2020, 16:15 UTC (aborted)[44] N/AN/ADave Mackay and Frederick W. Sturckow. Attempted spaceflight[45]
VSS Unity 2122 May 2021, 15:26 UTCMach 3 Dave Mackay and Frederick W. Sturckow[46]
VSS Unity 2211 July 2021, 15:04 UTCMach 3.2David Mackay, Michael Masucci, Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses and Richard Branson
VSS Unity Unity 2525 May 2023, 16:23 UTC[47] Mach 2.94[48] Michael Masucci, Frederick W. Sturckow, Beth Moses, Luke Mays, Jamila Gilbert, Christopher Huie
Galactic 0129 June 2023, 15:28 UTC[49] Mach 2.88Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone Carlucci and Colin Bennett
Galactic 0210 August 2023, 15:17 UTC[50] Mach 3.00CJ Sturckow, Kelly Latimer, Beth Moses, Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, Anastatia Mayers
Galactic 038 September 2023, 15:22 UTC[51] Mach 2.95Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Beth Moses, Timothy Nash, Ken Baxter, Adrian Reynard[52]
Galactic 046 October 2023, 16:10 UTC[53] Mach 2.95Kelly Latimer, CJ Sturckow, Beth Moses, Ron Rosano, Trevor Beattie, Namira Salim
Galactic 052 November 2023, 15:44 UTC[54] Mach 2.96Michael Masucci, Kelly Latimer, Colin Bennett, Alan Stern, Kellie Gerardi, Ketty Maisonrouge
Galactic 0626 January 2024, 17:42 UTC[55] Mach 2.98CJ Sturckow, Nicola Pecile, Lina Borozdina, Robie Vaughn, Franz Haider, Neil Kornswiet
Galactic 078 June 2024Mach 2.9687.5 km (54.4 mi)Nicola Pecile, Jameel Janjua, Tuva Cihangir Atasever, Giorgio Manenti, Irving (Yitzhak) Pergament, Andy Sadhwani
Final Unity flight

Full list of flights

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. virgingalactic . 700795235291402240 . 19 February 2016 . Virgin Galactic announces new ship name.
  2. Web site: New SpaceShipTwo Rollout Friday . AVweb . 18 February 2016 . 19 February 2016.
  3. Web site: Virgin Galactic unveils new space tourism rocket plane. 19 February 2016. CBC News. 20 February 2016.
  4. Web site: Virgin Galactic's new SpaceShipTwo gets off the ground, two years after fatal mishap . GeekWire . 2016-09-08 . 2016-09-08.
  5. Web site: Foust . Jeff . 2024-05-08 . Virgin Galactic plans higher mothership flight rate with next-generation spaceplanes . 2024-05-09 . SpaceNews . en-US.
  6. Web site: Mojave Update: SpaceShipTwo Construction. virgingalactic.com. 11 September 2015. 3 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161003230106/http://www.virgingalactic.com/mojave-update-spaceshiptwo-construction/. dead.
  7. Web site: Rosenberg. Zach. The Making of SpaceShipTwo. Air & Space Smithsonian. Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine. 11 September 2015.
  8. Web site: Crane. Rachel. Inside Virgin Galactic's newest passenger spaceship. Inside Virgin Galactic's Space Tourism Rocket Factory. 13 June 2014 . CNN. 11 September 2015.
  9. News: One small step for space tourism... . 16 December 2004 . The Economist .
  10. News: Roll . Erin . Glen Ridge resident helping to launch commercial spaceflight . NorthJersey.com . 2013-11-21 . 2015-11-09 .
  11. News: Dean . Lewis . Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Crash: Pilot Dies After 'Serious' In-Flight Problem . . 2014-10-31 . 2015-11-09 .
  12. News: Harlow . John . Virgin: Our spaceship will be flying by April . https://web.archive.org/web/20160302121559/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1481365.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2014_11_08 . dead . 2 March 2016 . . London . 2014-11-09 . 2015-11-09 .
  13. News: USA Today . Youtube . New Virgin Galactic spacecraft gets rock star unveiling . 2016-02-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20160221012023/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aNn91OnB-8. 21 February 2016. dead.
  14. Web site: N202VG is Reserved . 11 September 2014 . 2014-11-05 . FAA . 6 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141106121323/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=202VG . dead .
  15. News: Virgin Galactic 'to test new craft by end of year' . 21 April 2015 . The Telegraph (London) .
  16. News: Virgin Galactic Hopes To Restart SpaceShipTwo Tests In Summer 2015 . Luke Villapaz . 5 November 2014 . International Business Times .
  17. News: Virgin Galactic CEO Sees New Spacecraft Ready Next Year . 2014-11-02 . Newsweek . Reuters . 2 November 2014 .
  18. News: The Next SpaceShipTwo Takes Shape in Virgin Galactic Hangar . Alan Boyle . 5 November 2014 . NBC News .
  19. News: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo 2.0 Puts 'Weight on Wheels' . 22 May 2015 . Alan Boyle . NBC News .
  20. Web site: Virgin Galactic unveils new spaceship. 19 February 2016. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20160219164726/https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/us/virgin-galactic-new-space-plane/index.html. 19 February 2016. 14 December 2018.
  21. News: Plautz . Jessica . Kramer . Miriam . Richard Branson: Virgin Galactic's next space plane is coming in February . . 2015-11-02 . 2015-12-03 .
  22. News: Video - Virgin Galactic: second SpaceShipTwo to be rolled out on 19 February . 14 January 2016 . aeronewstv.com .
  23. Web site: Update from Mojave: Testing Testing 1-2-3 . Virgin Galactic . 2016-03-10 . 2016-03-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160315120901/http://www.virgingalactic.com/update-from-mojave-testing-testing-1-2-3/ . 2016-03-15 . dead .
  24. News: SpaceShipTwo Bounces Back to Rubber Fuel . Jeff Foust . 14 October 2015 . SpaceNews .
  25. News: Virgin Galactic Postpones 1st Glide Test with New SpaceShipTwo . Tariq Malik . 1 November 2016 . 4 November 2016.
  26. Web site: Virgin Galactic Looks to Its Next SpaceShipTwo Flight Test. inverse.com. 4 November 2016 . 5 December 2016.
  27. Web site: Last Minute Scrub of SpaceShipTwo Glide Flight . parabolicarc.com . 4 November 2016 . 5 November 2016 . Messier . Doug.
  28. Web site: Virgin Galactic conducts captive carry flight of SpaceShipTwo . 1 December 2016 . 5 December 2016 . spaceflightinsider.com . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404192039/https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/commercial/virgin-galactic-conducts-captive-carry-flight-spaceshiptwo/ . dead .
  29. Web site: Branson Aims Mid-2018 Space Trip as Virgin Resumes Powered Tests . 5 July 2017 . 8 July 2017 . Bloomberg . Bruce . Einhorn.
  30. Web site: Virgin Galactic is returning to powered flights, CEO says, in a crucial next step for the spaceship company . 7 September 2017 . 8 September 2017 . CNBC . Michael . Sheetz.
  31. http://spacenews.com/second-spaceshiptwo-performs-first-powered-test-flight/ Second SpaceShipTwo performs first powered test flight
  32. Web site: First Supersonic, Powered Flight For Virgin's Unity. 11 April 2018. Grady . Mary . AVweb. 10 April 2018.
  33. Web site: Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered test flight since 2014 . 11 April 2018 . 5 April 2018 . Stephen . Clark . spaceflightnow.com.
  34. Web site: Virgin Galactic gets set for SpaceShipTwo flights that aim for space — but how high?. 12 December 2018. GeekWire. 14 December 2018.
  35. Web site: Virgin Galactic's 4th Powered Test Flight of SpaceShipTwo Unity in Twitter Posts. Tariq. Malik. Space.com. 13 December 2018 . 14 December 2018.
  36. Web site: Virgin Galactic expects rapid conclusion of SpaceShipTwo test flights after downtime . Jeff . Foust . 19 April 2019 . 19 April 2019 . spacenews.com.
  37. Virgin Galactic Welcomes SpaceShipTwo Unity to Spaceport America, New Mexico. 13 February 2020 . 18 December 2020 .
  38. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Completes Second Flight from Spaceport America. 25 June 2020 . 18 December 2020 .
  39. Web site: Virgin Galactic Reveals Spaceshiptwo Cabin Interior . 28 July 2020 . 18 December 2020 . 11 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210711035804/https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-reveals-spaceshiptwo-cabin-interior/ . dead .
  40. Web site: Jeff Foust. Virgin Galactic to halt Unity suborbital flights by mid-2024 . 8 November 2023 . 11 November 2020 .
  41. 1073252317598609408. virgingalactic. We travelled at 2.9 Mach on the way up to today. That's 2.9 times the speed of sound. . 13 December 2018.
  42. 1098989513655742464. virgingalactic. Mach 3.0 . 22 February 2019.
  43. Web site: Grush . Loren . Virgin Galactic spaceplane reaches space with first passenger on board . The Verge . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130183920/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18232354/virgin-galactic-vss-unity-spaceplane-test-spaceflight-passenger-beth-moses . 30 November 2022 . 22 February 2019 . live.
  44. Web site: Virgin Galactic Update on Test Flight Program.. 4 July 2021. 11 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210711172345/https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-update-on-test-flight-program/. dead.
  45. Web site: VSS Unity aborts after engine start, safely lands with crew back at Spaceport America. 12 December 2020. 23 May 2021.
  46. Web site: Virgin Galactic successfully makes first human spaceflight from New Mexico. 22 May 2021. 23 May 2021.
  47. Virgin Galactic is GO for launch . 17 May 2023 . 19 May 2023 . Virgin Galactic.
  48. Web site: Virgin Galactic . 2023-05-25 . www.virgingalactic.com.
  49. Jonathan McDowell . Jonathan McDowell . planet4589 . 1674445777425293312 . Galactic 01 stats: launch 1528:38 UTC, apogee 85.1 km, flight time from drop to main gear touchdown 13m50s. Drop location EBR P3 in my launch points list (107.0W 33.3N) . 29 June 2023.
  50. Jonathan McDowell . planet4589 . 1689783764639961089 . I don't quite agree with these numbers. I have takeoff of White Knight 2 at 1429:45 UTC (in agreement with their 8.30 am MDT) but landing of SS2 at 1532:48 UTC (9.32 am MDT). Release time 1517:10 UTC and SS2 free flight time 15:38 with apogee 88.5 km. . 10 August 2023.
  51. Jonathan McDowell . planet4589 . 1700249597845913634 . Virgin Galactic few Spaceship Two mission Galactic 03 on Sep 8. VMS Eve took off at 1434 UTC and dropped VSS Unity over the usual drop point (EBR P3 in my list) at about 1522:13 UTC. Unity boosted to 88.6 km apogee and landed at Spaceport America at 1535 UTC. . 8 September 2023.
  52. Web site: Core memory unlocked. Welcome to space, #Galactic03. Congratulations, 014, 015, and 016! . 2023-09-08 . X (formerly Twitter) . en.
  53. Virgin Galactic completes fifth successful flight in five months . 6 October 2023 . 7 October 2023 . Virgin Galactic.
  54. 'Galactic 05' research mission set to become Virgin Galactic's sixth flight in six months . 18 October 2023 . 19 October 2023 . Virgin Galactic.
  55. Jonathan McDowell . planet4589 . 1750973689204764824 . The @VirginGalactic Galactic 06 mission was launched from the WK02 carrier plane at 1742:05 UTC Jan 26 following takeoff around 1700 UTC. After a one minute rocket burn, SS2 reached an apogee of 88.8 km and landed after an approximately 14 minute free flight. (1/2) . 26 January 2024.

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