Spaceport America

Portrait for @ericof
by @ericof
2020-06-26T10:00:02+00:00
Science • Space
Virgin Galactic flies second SpaceShipTwo test at New Mexico spaceport, clearing the way for powered spaceflight
SpaceShipTwo "Unity" at rollout event on 19 February 2016
SpaceShipTwo "Unity" at rollout event on 19 February 2016 Credit: Ronrosano (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Virgin Galactic completed the SpaceShipTwo's second glide flight test in New Mexico on Thursday. The unpowered flight went off without a hitch and saw the spacecraft hit new speeds, as the company presses ahead with its testing program at Spaceport America.

The company announced that after completing a data review of Thursday's flight, it will begin preparing for full rocket-powered test flights.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Virgin Galactic said it expected to begin commercial operations during summer, and announced to shareholders that the company goal is to be profitable by next year.