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VSS Unity

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VSS Unity
Type Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
Manufacturer The Spaceship Company
Construction number 2 [1]
Registration N202VG [2]
Owners and operators Virgin Galactic
In service 2016 (expected)[3]

VSS Unity[4](Tail number: N202VG[2]), previously known 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]

Overview

Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo "Unity" rollout 19Feb2016, FAITH hanger, Mojave, California

The Spaceship Company is building VSS Unity, the second SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane for Virgin Galactic.[7] The ship's name was announced on February 19, 2016.[4] Prior to the naming announcement, the craft was referred to as SpaceShipTwo, Serial Number Two.[8][9] There was speculation in 2004 that Serial Number Two would be named VSS Voyager,[10] and this unofficial name was repeatedly used in media coverage of the ship.[11][12][13]

Virgin Galactic expects Unity to be ready for airborne testing in early 2016.[3]

History

The manufacture of Unity, then known as Voyager, began in 2012.[2] 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, Unity was approximately 75% complete,[15] and initial ground tests were projected to be able to begin as early as late 2015,[16] after being projected as early as mid-2015 as of November 2014.[1][17][18] On 21 May 2015, Unity reached the milestone of bearing the weight of the airframe on its own wheels.[19] In the event, the aircraft was not rolled out of the hangar and unveiled until 19 February 2016,[citation needed] as Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson had projected in November 2015, with flight testing to begin shortly thereafter.[3][20]

VSS Unity will be the second SpaceShipTwo to be completed; the first, VSS Enterprise, was destroyed in a crash in late October 2014.[7][12]

Test flight program

See also: VSS Enterprise § Flight test 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. Testing will start with captive carry, progress to free-flight glide testing, then 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.[21]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to SpaceShipTwo.

References

  1. ^ a b Luke Villapaz (5 November 2014). "Virgin Galactic Hopes To Restart SpaceShipTwo Tests In Summer 2015". International Business Times.
  2. ^ a b c Irene Klotz (5 November 2014). "New spaceship restoring hope after Virgin Galactic crash". Reuters. SpaceDaily.
  3. ^ a b c Plautz, Jessica; Kramer, Miriam (2015-11-02). "Richard Branson: Virgin Galactic's next space plane is coming in February". Mashable. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  4. ^ a b @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. ^ a b "Mojave Update: SpaceShipTwo Construction". virgingalactic.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  8. ^ Rosenberg, Zach. "The Making of SpaceShipTwo". Air & Space Smithsonian. Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  9. ^ Crane, Rachel. "Inside Virgin Galactic's newest passenger spaceship". Inside Virgin Galactic's Space Tourism Rocket Factory. CNN. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  10. ^ "One small step for space tourism..." The Economist. 16 December 2004.
  11. ^ Roll, Erin (2013-11-21). "Glen Ridge resident helping to launch commercial spaceflight". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  12. ^ a b Dean, Lewis (2014-10-31). "Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Crash: Pilot Dies After 'Serious' In-Flight Problem". International Business Times. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  13. ^ Harlow, John (2014-11-09). "Virgin: Our spaceship will be flying by April". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  14. ^ "N202VG is Reserved". FAA. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  15. ^ Jonathan O'Callaghan (21 April 2015). "Virgin Galactic will fly again: Company prepares to test new spacecraft after fatal 2014 crash". Daily Main (London).
  16. ^ "Virgin Galactic 'to test new craft by end of year'". The Telegraph (London). 21 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Virgin Galactic CEO Sees New Spacecraft Ready Next Year". Reuters. Newsweek. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
  18. ^ Alan Boyle (5 November 2014). "The Next SpaceShipTwo Takes Shape in Virgin Galactic Hangar". NBC News.
  19. ^ Alan Boyle (22 May 2015). "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo 2.0 Puts 'Weight on Wheels'". NBC News.
  20. ^ "Video - Virgin Galactic: second SpaceShipTwo to be rolled out on 19 February". aeronewstv.com. 14 January 2016.
  21. ^ Jeff Foust (14 October 2015). "SpaceShipTwo Bounces Back to Rubber Fuel". SpaceNews.
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