Success since the fatal crash three years ago
Richard Branson’s company Virgin Galactic conducted a successful test flight over the Sierra Nevada mountains of its SpaceShipTwo passenger rocket ship, three and a half years since the fatal crash.
“Virgin Galactic back on track,” tweeted founder Richard Branson following the brief flight. He added:
.@virgingalacticback on track. Successful powered flight, Mach 1.6. Data review to come, then on to the next flight. Space feels tantalisingly close now.
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 5, 2018
The VMS Eve carrier plane took off from Mojave, California, carrying SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity before releasing it 46,500 feet (14,000 m) above ground, Virgin Galactic said in a statement.
A rocket motor then accelerated Unity to Mach 1.87 during a 30-second rocket burn before the ship’s two pilots shut it down. The spaceship reached 84,000 feet (25,000 m) before making a smooth runway landing, the company said.
Founded in 2004, the company has not yet announced a date for the start of passenger flights but is selling tickets for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo at $250,000 a seat.
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