Artykuły o Virgin Galactic

[Orionid]

Branson to be on next SpaceShipTwo flight July 11
by Jeff Foust — July 1, 2021 [SN]


Richard Branson will be "Astronaut 001" on the next SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceflight July 11, going to space days before Jeff Bezos flies on Blue Origin's New Shepard. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson will be on the company’s next flight of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle July 11, going to space days before fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Source: https://spacenews.com/branson-to-be-on-next-spaceshiptwo-flight-july-11/

[Orionid]

Richard Branson to fly in space July 11, nine days before rival Bezos
July 2, 2021 William Harwood  STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]


The crew of the VSS Unity suborbital mission: Pilot Dave Mackay, engineer Colin Bennett, instructor Beth Moses, founder Richard Branson, company vice president Sirisha Bandla, and pilot Michael Masucci. Credit: Virgin Galactic

Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Galactic, will fly into space aboard his company’s VSS Unity rocketplane July 11 for an up-and-down test flight, beating Amazon-founder and rival Jeff Bezos into sub-orbital space by nine days.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/07/02/richard-branson-to-fly-in-space-july-11-nine-days-before-rival-bezos/

[Orionid]

Branson flies to edge of space on SpaceShipTwo
by Jeff Foust — July 11, 2021 [SN]


SpaceShipTwo ignites its rocket motor seconds after release from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft July 11 from Spaceport America, New Mexico. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

SPACEPORT AMERICA, N.M. — Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and five other people flew to the edge of space on the company’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle July 11, the culmination of an effort that started nearly 17 years ago.

The SpaceShipTwo vehicle, named VSS Unity, took off from Spaceport America in the southern New Mexican desert at 10:40 a.m. Eastern, attached to its WhiteKnightTwo aircraft. Takeoff was delayed by 90 minutes because of weather overnight that slowed launch preparations. The vehicles flew to an altitude of about 13,700 meters before WhiteKnightTwo released Unity at 11:25 a.m. Eastern.

Source: https://spacenews.com/branson-flies-to-edge-of-space-on-spaceshiptwo/

[Orionid]

Richard Branson rockets into space
July 11, 2021 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]


Richard Branson floats inside the passenger cabin of the VSS Unity rocketplane. Credit: Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson rocketed into space Sunday, an edge-of-the-seat sub-orbital test flight intended to demonstrate his company’s air-launched spaceplane is ready for passengers who can afford the ultimate thrill ride.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/07/11/richard-branson-rockets-into-space/

[Orionid]

Virgin Galactic, Branson laud SpaceShipTwo flight “beyond my wildest dreams”
by Jeff Foust — July 11, 2021 [SN]


Richard Branson (right) discusses the July 11 SpaceShipTwo flight he was on at a post-flight briefing along with the rest of the crew (from left): Dave Mackay, Mike Masucci, Beth Moses, Colin Bennett and Sirisha Bandla. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

SPACEPORT AMERICA, N.M. — Virgin Galactic and its founder, Richard Branson, hailed a successful test flight by the company’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane that carried him and five others to suborbital space, but offered few new details about the company’s future plans.

Source: https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-branson-laud-spaceshiptwo-flight-beyond-my-wildest-dreams/

[Orionid]

The Red Warning Light on Richard Branson’s Space Flight
By Nicholas Schmidle September 1, 2021 [NY]

The F.A.A. is investigating the ship’s off-course descent.

On July 11th, nearly a minute into the rocket trip carrying Richard Branson, the British billionaire, to space, a yellow caution light appeared on the ship’s console. The craft was about twenty miles in the air above the White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico, and climbing, travelling more than twice the speed of sound. But it was veering off course, and the light was a warning to the pilots that their flight path was too shallow and the nose of the ship was insufficiently vertical. If they didn’t fix it, they risked a perilous emergency landing in the desert on their descent.

Source: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-red-warning-light-on-richard-bransons-space-flight

[Orionid]

FAA grounds SpaceShipTwo after problem on July flight
by Jeff Foust — September 2, 2021 [SN]


Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity performs a burn during July 11 flight. Credit: Virgin Galactic

LOMPOC, Calif. — The Federal Aviation Administration will not allow Virgin Galactic to resume flights of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane until it completes an investigation into a problem on the vehicle’s previous flight in July.

Source: https://spacenews.com/faa-grounds-spaceshiptwo-after-problem-on-july-flight/

[Orionid]

Potential component defect to delay next Virgin Galactic flight
by Jeff Foust — September 12, 2021 [SN]


Virgin Galactic says the inspections of a potentially faulty component will delay the next SpaceShipTwo flight to at least mid-October, assuming the FAA has completed its investigation of an unrelated issue by then. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic is further delaying its next SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight in order to check a potential issue the company says is unrelated to an ongoing Federal Aviation Administration investigation.

In a statement issued late Sept. 10, Virgin Galactic said a third-party supplier, which it did not identify, notified the company of a potential manufacturing defect in a flight control actuation system component. Virgin said it is conducting inspections with the vendor to determine if the suspect component needs to be repaired or replaced.

Source: https://spacenews.com/potential-component-defect-to-delay-next-virgin-galactic-flight/

[Orionid]

FAA clears Virgin Galactic to resume SpaceShipTwo flights
by Jeff Foust — September 29, 2021 [SN]


The FAA said Sept. 29 it closed an investigation into an airspace excursion by Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo on a July 11 suborbital flight, allowing the company to resume flights. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration said Sept. 29 that it completed its investigation into a problem on Virgin Galactic’s most recent SpaceShipTwo flight, allowing the company to resume flights of the suborbital spaceplane.

Source: https://spacenews.com/faa-clears-virgin-galactic-to-resume-spaceshiptwo-flights/

[Orionid]

Virgin Galactic on schedule to start commercial human suborbital flights this year
by Jeff Foust — February 22, 2022 [SN]


Virgin Galactic hopes to have both its WhiteKnightTwo aircraft and SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane in commercial service before the end of the year after both complete extensive maintenance. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic executives said Feb. 22 that they remain on schedule to begin commercial human suborbital missions before the end of the year but acknowledged it will take several years for the company to become profitable.

Source: https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-on-schedule-to-start-commercial-human-suborbital-flights-this-year/

Virgin Galactic pushes back commercial suborbital flights to 2023
by Jeff Foust — May 6, 2022 [SN]


Virgin Galactic says supply chain problems and hiring issues will push back the start of commercial service of its VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane from late 2022 to early 2023. Credit: MarsScientific.com & Trumbull Studios

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic is again postponing the start of commercial service of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane from late 2022 to early 2023, blaming the latest delay on supply chain and labor issues.

In the company’s first quarter earnings release May 5, Virgin Galactic said it expected to start commercial flights of its VSS Unity spaceplane in the first quarter of 2023 after completing upgrades of the vehicle and VMS Eve, its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft. The company had previously scheduled those flights to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022, a schedule it affirmed in February with the release of its 2021 financial results.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-pushes-back-commercial-suborbital-flights-to-2023/

Virgin Galactic selects Aurora Flight Sciences to build new motherships
by Jeff Foust — July 6, 2022 Updated 4:50 p.m. Eastern with details from SEC filing. [SN]


Virgin Galactic said Aurora Flight Sciences will built two new "mothership" aircraft for its next-generation suborbital spaceplanes. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic announced July 6 it signed an agreement with a Boeing subsidiary to build two new aircraft that will be used as launch platforms for its next-generation suborbital spaceplanes.

Virgin Galactic said Aurora Flight Sciences will build two carrier aircraft, or motherships, that will succeed the original WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, called VMS Eve, that it has used for carrying SpaceShipTwo vehicles aloft on suborbital spaceflights. The companies did not disclose the value of the contract, but according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the contract includes a mix of fixed-price and time-and-materials task orders, with incentives to Aurora if it completes the planes on time, under budget or with improved performance.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-selects-aurora-flight-sciences-to-build-new-motherships/

Virgin Galactic selects Arizona for spaceplane manufacturing facility
by Jeff Foust — July 15, 2022 [SN]


Virgin Galactic announced July 14 it will build a new line of Delta-class suborbital spaceplanes at a Mesa, Arizona, factory, set to be completed by late 2023. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic announced July 14 plans to assemble a fleet of suborbital spaceplanes in a new factory in a suburb of Phoenix.

The company said it has started work on the factory in Mesa, Arizona, where it will perform final assembly of new Delta-class spaceplanes. The facility is scheduled to be fully operational by late 2023. The first of those spaceplanes will start flying private astronauts in 2026, the company projects.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-selects-arizona-for-spaceplane-manufacturing-facility/

Virgin Galactic again delays start of commercial suborbital flights
Jeff Foust August 5, 2022 [SN]


Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo vehicle, attached to its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, arrives at Spaceport America in New Mexico Feb. 13. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic has once again pushed back the start of commercial flights of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, saying upgrades of its carrier aircraft are taking longer than expected.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-again-delays-start-of-commercial-suborbital-flights/

[Orionid]

SpaceShipTwo makes first flight in nearly two years
Jeff Foust April 26, 2023 [SN]


Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spaceplane is released from its VMS Eve mothership on a glide flight in New Mexico April 26. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic’s suborbital spaceplane flew freely for the first time in nearly two years April 26 on a glide flight that prepares the company for powered flights and commercial service.

The company’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle, VSS Unity, was carried aloft by the VMS Eve mothership aircraft flying out of Spaceport America in New Mexico. Unity released from the plane at 9:47 a.m. Eastern at an altitude of 14,300 meters and glided to a runway landing back at the spaceport nine minutes later.
https://spacenews.com/spaceshiptwo-makes-first-flight-in-nearly-two-years/


Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years
Jeff Foust May 25, 2023 Updated at 3 p.m. Eastern with post-flight statement. [SN]


A view of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane VSS Unity in space during its May 25 flight. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle flew to space for the first time in nearly two years May 25 on what the company projected to be the vehicle’s final test flight before commencing commercial operations.

Virgin Galactic’s “mothership” aircraft, VMS Eve, took off from the runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico at 11:15 a.m. Eastern. The takeoff occurred more than an hour behind a schedule provided by the company the day before, but the company did not disclose the reason for the delay.

Virgin Galactic released VSS Unity at 12:23 p.m. Eastern. The spaceplane appeared to perform a nominal burn of its hybrid rocket engine before descending to a runway landing back at Spaceport America nearly 15 minutes later. Virgin Galactic said the vehicle reached a peak altitude of 87.2 kilometers — above the 50-mile altitude used by U.S. government agencies for awarding astronaut wings, but below the 100-kilometer Kármán line — and top speed of Mach 2.94.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-makes-first-suborbital-spaceflight-in-nearly-two-years/


Virgin Galactic conducts first space tourist suborbital flight
Jeff Foust August 10, 2023


Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity ascends towards space on the Galactic 02 mission Aug. 10. Credit: Virgin Galactic webcast

LOGAN, Utah — Virgin Galactic took its first private astronaut customers on a suborbital spaceflight Aug. 10, nearly two decades after it started selling tickets.

Virgin’s VSS Unity spaceplane, attached to its VMS Eve mothership aircraft, took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at approximately 10:20 a.m. Eastern. Unity was released from Eve at 11:17 a.m. Eastern and fired its hybrid rocket motor.

The vehicle reached a peak altitude of about 88.5 kilometers before gliding back to the spaceport, landing at 11:32 a.m. Eastern. The flight appeared to go as expected.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-conducts-first-space-tourist-suborbital-flight/


Virgin Galactic completes third commercial SpaceShipTwo flight
Jeff Foust September 8, 2023 [SN]


Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity suborbital spaceplane during the Galactic 03 flight Sept. 8. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Operating under a veil of secrecy reminiscent of a national security launch, Virgin Galactic performed its third commercial suborbital spaceflight Sept. 8 with three private astronauts on board.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-completes-third-commercial-spaceshiptwo-flight/

[Orionid]

06.10.2023: nie było transmisji na żywo.

The #Galactic04 mission will mark our:
◆ 9th spaceflight
◆ 5th spaceflight in 2023
◆ 4th commercial spaceflight

https://x.com/virgingalactic/status/1710310592127316369

🌌🤩 Greetings from space, #Galactic04! Big congratulations to 017, 018, and 019.

https://x.com/virgingalactic/status/1710331596761628964

Virgin Galactic performs fourth commercial suborbital flight
Jeff Foust October 6, 2023 [SN]


Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity lands at Spaceport America Oct. 6 at the end of the Galactic 04 mission. Credit: Spaceport America

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic continued its monthly cadence of commercial suborbital spaceflights Oct. 6, carrying three customers that included the first person from Pakistan to go to space. (...)

As with the previous flight, Galactic 03 on Sept. 8, Virgin Galactic did not provide a live broadcast, limiting itself to social media updates. Those updates themselves were published on a time delay: one post announcing ignition of the vehicle’s hybrid rocket motor was published at least 12 minutes after ignition, based on the timestamps in the images included with the post.

On board VSS Unity were three customers: Ron Rosano, Treavor Beattie and Namira Salim. The company did not release the customers’ names in advance of the flight, but all three disclosed their participation in the days leading up to the flight. (...)
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-performs-fourth-commercial-suborbital-flight/

The #Galactic05 research mission will carry microgravity and space-themed research. It will also mark our:
◆ 6th spaceflight in 2023
◆ 10th spaceflight
◆ 2nd research spaceflight in 2023

https://x.com/virgingalactic/status/1720083857645654136

The astronauts from the #Galactic05 mission, designated as 020, 021, and 022 are:
● Astronaut 020 - Dr. @AlanStern, U.S. Planetary Scientist and Associate Vice President in Southwest Research Institute’s (@SwRI) Space Sector
● Astronaut 021 - @KellieGerardi, U.S. Payload Specialist and Bioastronautics Researcher for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (@IIAS_NLC)
● Astronaut 022 - Private Astronaut – Franco-Italian nationality

https://x.com/virgingalactic/status/1720089324337983679

Virgin Galactic carries researchers on fifth commercial suborbital flight
Jeff Foust November 2, 2023 [SN]


Participants on the Galactic 05 flight by Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity vehicle carry our research and other activities during the brief weightless phase of the Nov. 2 flight. Credit: Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic completed its sixth and final suborbital spaceflight of the year Nov. 2, flying two researchers and a private astronaut.

The company’s VSS Unity spaceplane took off from New Mexico’s Spaceport America at 9 a.m. Eastern, attached to the VMS Eve mothership aircraft. Unity separated at about 9:45 a.m. Eastern, igniting its hybrid rocket motor to fly to a peak altitude of approximately 87.2 kilometers and top speed of Mach 2.96. Unity glided back to a runway landing at Spaceport America nearly an hour after takeoff.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-carries-researchers-on-fifth-commercial-suborbital-flight/

Virgin Galactic launches four private astronauts as it prepares to end Unity flights
Jeff Foust January 26, 2024 [SN]


Virgin Galactic’s VSS unity suborbital spaceplane lands at Spaceport America at the conclusion of the Galactic 06 flight Jan 26. Credit: Spaceport America

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic conducted its first suborbital mission of 2024 on Jan. 26 as the company prepares end flights of its current spaceplane. (...)

The VSS Unity spaceplane, attached the VMS Eve mothership aircraft, took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at 12 p.m. Eastern. Unity separated about 45 minutes later, igniting its hybrid rocket engine. The vehicle reached a peak altitude of 88.8 kilometers before gliding back to a runway landing at the spaceport at 12:56 p.m. Eastern, according to data provided by the company

The flight, called Galactic 06 by Virgin Galactic, carried four customers for the first time, along with its two pilots. Previous commercial flights had three customers on board along with a Virgin Galactic astronaut trainer.

As with some recent flights, Virgin Galactic disclosed the identities of the four private astronauts only after the end of the mission. They are Americans Neil Kornswiet and Robie Vaughn, Ukrainian-American Lina Borozdina and Austrian Franz Haider. Unity was commanded by C.J. Sturckow with Nicola Pecile as pilot. (...)

Virgin Galactic said then that, after Galactic 06, it would fly Unity again on Galactic 07 in the second quarter of the year and, perhaps, a Galactic 08 mission in mid-2024. The company then plans to retire VSS Unity and shift resources into Delta-class vehicle development. (...)
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-launches-four-private-astronauts-as-it-prepares-to-end-unity-flights/

[Orionid]

26.01.2024 podczas lotu Galactic 06 doszło do anomalii w postaci odłączenia sworznia wyrównującego.
Według wstępnych danych, zawleczka wypadła z VMS Eve.
Sworzeń służy do zintegrowania obu pojazdów podczas przygotowań do lotu.
Po starcie sworzeń pomaga również przenieść obciążenie z Unity na pylon i środkową część skrzydła samolotu.
Trzpień wyrównujący odłączył się przedwcześnie, ale nie podano dokładnie kiedy to się stało.
Trwa śledztwo mające wyjaśnić anomalię.
Na razie loty zostały zawieszone.

Virgin Galactic grounded after a small part fell off vehicle during latest space tourism flight
Jackie Wattles By Jackie Wattles, CNN Published 9:15 PM EST, Mon February 5, 2024


A replica of Virgin Galactic's rocket plane sits at the entrance of Spaceport America in Sierra County, New Mexico, on July 8, 2021. Nathan J Fish/Sun-News/USA Today Network/FILE

CNN — Virgin Galactic is grounded after the company said a small part unintentionally detached from the mothership of its rocket-powered space plane on its latest space tourism flight.

The loss of the part, called an alignment pin, did not impact the safety of the mission, according to the company. The flight, called Galactic 06, launched on January 26 and marked Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism mission of the year after entering commercial service in 2023.

The company discovered the part loss during routine checks and notified government regulators on January 31, “in accordance with regulations,” Virgin Galactic said in a statement. (...)
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/05/world/virgin-galactic-safety-alignment-pin-launch-scn/index.html

VIRGIN GALACTIC REPORTS FLIGHT ISSUE TO FAA
February 5, 2024

(...) The alignment pin helps ensure the spaceship is aligned to the mothership when mating the vehicles on the ground during pre-flight procedures. During mated flight, as the vehicles climb towards release altitude, the alignment pin helps transfer drag and other forces from the spaceship to the shear pin fitting assembly and into the pylon and center wing of the mothership. The shear pin fitting assembly remained both attached and intact on the mothership with no damage. While both parts play a role during mated flight, they do not support the spaceship’s weight, nor do they have an active function once the spaceship is released.

The alignment pin and shear pin fitting assembly performed as designed during the mated portion of the flight, and only the alignment pin detached after the spaceship was released from the mothership. (...)
https://investors.virgingalactic.com/news/news-details/2024/Virgin-Galactic-Reports-Flight-Issue-to-FAA/

Virging Galactic, indagine in corso sul sesto volo suborbitale
Inserito da Giulia Bonelli | 7 Feb, 2024

Decollata lo scorso 26 gennaio dallo Spazioporto America, nel New Mexico, il veicolo di Virgin Galactic ha subito il distacco di un perno di allineamento. Secondo le prime ricostruzioni dell’azienda, il perno sarebbe caduto dalla nave madre Vms Eve, il veicolo che trasporta in volo lo spazioplano Vss Unity. Il perno viene utilizzato per garantire che Unity sia allineato a Eve durante i preparativi per il volo. Dopo il decollo, il perno contribuisce a trasferire i carichi di resistenza aerodinamica da Unity al pilone e alla sezione centrale dell’ala del velivolo. Il perno di allineamento si sarebbe staccato a seguito della separazione di Unity da Eve, anche se l’azienda non ha ancora precisato dopo quanto tempo questo sia avvenuto.

https://www.globalscience.it/48798/virging-galactic-indagine-in-corso-sul-sesto-volo-suborbitale/


Virgin Galactic countersues Boeing about mothership project
Jeff Foust April 5, 2024 [SN]


Virgin Galactic selected Aurora Flight Sciences to build two new "mothership" aircraft for its next-generation suborbital spaceplanes in 2022. Credit: Virgin Galactic

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Virgin Galactic has filed a countersuit against Boeing over a project to develop a new mothership aircraft, arguing in part that Boeing performed poorly.

The suit, filed April 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, comes two weeks after Boeing filed suit against Virgin Galactic in Virginia, alleging that Virgin refused to pay more than $25 million in invoices on the project and misappropriated trade secrets.
https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-countersues-boeing-about-mothership-project/