The Virgin Galactic spacecraft, Unity, lands during a glide test flight on May 1, 2020.
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Virgin Galactic successfully completed its second glide flight test in New Mexico on Thursday, a milestone that should prepare the company to begin space flight next.
The company said that after completing “an extensive data review” of the glide flight, Virgin Galactic “will begin preparing for the next stage” of its flight test program: test flights with rockets.
“I am delighted with the team’s hard work to successfully complete today’s test flight. It was an important test that, pending data review, means that we can now begin preparing the vehicles for powered flight,” said the CEO. Virgin Galactic’s George Whitesides in a statement.
Virgin Galactic shares rose more than 4% in post-close trading at its close of $ 15.25 a share.
The slip test involved the Eve company’s transport plane taking off with the Spaceport America Unity spacecraft in New Mexico and lifting it to an altitude of 51,000 feet. At that point, Eve launched Unity and the spacecraft reached a top speed of approximately 650 miles per hour. Unity pilots performed several maneuvers before landing at Spacecraft America in New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic also completed a “wet dress trial” of its systems and facilities this past weekend, a process that included powering the Unity space unit on the runway.
The Virgin Galactic spacecraft, Unity, fires its rocket engine and heads into space on February 22, 2019.
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The company last conducted a space flight on February 22, 2019, which was its second flight to successfully reach the edge of space. Since then, the company has moved its spacecraft from its test facility in California’s Mojave Desert to its operational base in New Mexico. The company previously said it expects to start commercial operations this summer and has told shareholders that its goal is to be profitable by 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic caused Virgin Galactic to temporarily suspend operations in March, but, starting in May. , the vast majority of employees returned to work
Virgin Galactic’s business model falls into the realm of luxury experiences, given the high prices of its space tourism offering. The company is in the final stages of developing its reusable spacecraft, which can carry six passengers on a 90-minute trip to the edge of space.
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