SpaceShipTwo
Suborbital spaceplane for space tourism / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It is manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.
Manufacturer | Scaled Composites (VSS Enterprise) The Spaceship Company (VSS Unity) |
---|---|
Country of origin | United States |
Operator | Virgin Galactic |
Applications | Suborbital space tourism |
Specifications | |
Spacecraft type | Crewed spaceplane |
Launch mass | 13,154 kg (29,000 lb) |
Dry mass | 6,123 kg (13,500 lb) |
Crew capacity | 8 |
Volume | 14 m3 (500 cu ft) pressurized |
Regime | Suborbital |
Dimensions | |
Length | 18.3 m (60 ft) |
Height | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
Width | 8.3 m (27 ft) |
Capacity | |
Payload to Suborbital | |
Mass | 600 kg (1,300 lb) |
Production | |
Status | Active |
Built | 2 |
Operational | 1 (VSS Unity) |
Lost | 1 (VSS Enterprise) |
Maiden launch | 10 October 2010 (glide flight) 29 April 2013 (powered flight) 13 December 2018 (spaceflight) |
Related spacecraft | |
Derived from | SpaceShipOne |
Derivatives | SpaceShip III |
Engine details | |
Powered by | 1 RocketMotorTwo engine |
Maximum thrust | 310 kN (70,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 250 s |
Propellant | Nitrous oxide / Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene |
SpaceShipTwo is carried to its launch altitude by a Scaled Composites White Knight Two, before being released to fly on into the upper atmosphere powered by its rocket engine. It then glides back to Earth and performs a conventional runway landing.[1] The spaceship was officially unveiled to the public on 7 December 2009 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.[2] On 29 April 2013, after nearly three years of unpowered testing, the first one constructed successfully performed its first powered test flight.[3]
Virgin Galactic plans to operate a fleet of five SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes in a private passenger-carrying service[4][5][6][7] and has been taking bookings for some time, with a suborbital flight carrying an updated ticket price of US$250,000.[8] The spaceplane could also be used to carry scientific payloads for NASA and other organizations.[9]
On 31 October 2014, during a test flight, the first SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise broke up in flight and crashed in the Mojave desert.[10][11][12][13] A preliminary investigation suggested that the craft's descent device deployed too early.[14][15] One pilot, Michael Alsbury, was killed; the other was treated for a serious shoulder injury after parachuting from the stricken spacecraft.[16][17]
The second SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, VSS Unity, was unveiled on 19 February 2016.[18][19] The vehicle is undergoing flight testing.[20][21][22] Its first flight to space (above 50 miles altitude), VSS Unity VP03, took place on 13 December 2018.[23][24]