Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Achieves 1st Rocket-Powered Flight

Virgin Galactic has certainly come a long way since it announced its intention to the world a few years ago, where even Sir Richard Branson himself would fly into space to conduct a wedding ceremony for a couple who would want a truly unique wedding, and here we are in 2013 with the SpaceShipTwo that has managed to achieve its first rocket-powered flight, dripped in success, of course. The test flight that happened on April 12, 2013 proved to be a key milestone in advancing the SpaceShipTwo’s first rocket powered flight, having arrived at supersonic speeds to ensure a smooth journey toward commercial flights sometime down the road.

The SpaceShipTwo space plane was carried aloft by mothership WhiteKnightTwo, where it was then released in mid-air at an altitude of approximately 46,000 feet, which proved to be the point where SpaceShipTwo sent its rocket engine to work, helping propel the craft all the way up to space after that. Virgin Galactic president and CEO George Whitesides said, “We will now embark on a handful of similar powered flight tests, and then make our first test flight to space.”

Edwin Kee
Categories: Transportation