Virgin Galactic completes second rocket flight test

Virgin Galactic says the commercial spaceplane achieved its highest altitude and greatest speed to date, and also demonstrated high altitude deployment of its wing ‘feathering’ re-entry mechanism.

On September 5, 2013 at approximately 0800 local time, the company’s WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port carrying SS2 to an altitude of 46,000 feet.

Virgin Galactic chief pilot Dave Mackay was at the WK2 controls, assisted by Scaled Composites’ co-pilot Mike Alsbury and The Spaceship Company flight test engineer Scott Glaser.

On release from WK2, SS2 pilots Mark Stucky and Clint Nichols, both of Scaled Composites, ignited the rocket motor for the planned 20-second burn propelling the spaceship to 69,000 feet. During this time, SS2 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 1.43.

‘We couldn’t be more delighted to have another major supersonic milestone under our belts as we move toward a 2014 start of commercial service,’ said Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson. ‘It was particularly thrilling to see for the first time today the whole elegant system in action during a single flight, including the remarkable feathering re-entry system. It was this safety feature more than anything else that originally persuaded us that the overall design of the system was uniquely fit for purpose.’