X-15 Flight 62

Flight 62 of the North American X-15 was a sub-orbital spaceflight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force on 17 July 1962. The X-15 was piloted by astronaut Robert Michael White to an altitude of 95.9 km (59.6 mi) surpassing the U.S. definition of space. Thus it became the first spaceflight of a spaceplane and a reusable spacecraft. The X-15 was also NASA's first space vehicle (the Mercury capsule flew into space first, but the X-15 was airborne before Big Joe 1). The Flight landed at Edwards Air Force Base. With this White was the first test pilot qualifying for his astronaut wings.

Position	Astronaut
Pilot	Robert Michael White[1] First spaceflight

Flight 62

Mission type	Test flight
Operator	USAF/NASA
Apogee	95.9 kilometers (59.6 mi)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	X-15
Manufacturer	North American
Crew
Crew size	1
Members	Robert Michael White
Start of mission
Launch date	July 17, 1962 (1962-07-17Z) UTC
End of mission
Landing date	July 17, 1962 (1962-07-18Z) UTC
Landing site	Rogers Dry Lake, Edwards

References

1. says, Gary Heger (August 22, 2020). "The First Reusable Spacecraft: The X-15 Flights Above the Karman Line". Drew Ex Machina.