Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is launching a new space age, where all are invited along for the ride.

Galactic 02

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Suborbital
Mission: Tourism

Suborbital Spaceport America Air launch to Suborbital flight

Second commercial Virgin Galactic mission.

Updates

Nosu • Aug. 10, 2023, 3:38 p.m.

Successful flight and landing of VSS Unity


Nosu • Aug. 10, 2023, 3:22 p.m.

Release of VSS Unity


Nosu • Aug. 10, 2023, 3:16 p.m.

Adjusting T-0


Nosu • Aug. 10, 2023, 3:06 p.m.

Updating drop time per countdown on stream


LL2 • Aug. 10, 2023, 2:52 p.m.

Livestream has started


SpaceShipTwo

Family:
Configuration:

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.

Specifications
  • Stages
    1
  • Length
    18.0 m
  • Diameter
    8.2 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    9.0 T
  • Thrust
    310.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    SpaceShipTwo
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    SpaceShipTwo
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

VSS Unity


Active Human Rated Crew On-board: 6 Crew Capacity: 8
Destination: Suborbital
Serial Number: N202VG

VSS Unity, previously referred to as VSS Voyager, is a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It is the second SpaceShipTwo to be built and will be used as part of the Virgin Galactic fleet.

SpaceShipTwo Details

Crew


Frederick W. Sturckow

Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Aug. 11, 1961
Age: 63

Kelly Latimer

Pilot - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Beth Moses

Instructor - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: May 30, 1980
Age: 44

Anastatia Mayers

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Occasional Spaceflight

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Jon Goodwin

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Occasional Spaceflight

Date of Birth: June 19, 1943
Age: 81

Keisha Schahaff

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Occasional Spaceflight

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

(VG)

Founder: Richard Branson Founded: 2004 Successes: 62 Failures: 5 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company within the Virgin Group. It is developing commercial spacecraft and aims to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists. Virgin Galactic's suborbital spacecraft are air launched from beneath a carrier airplane known as White Knight Two.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Arstechnica

Virgin Galactic just flew again, but is the company going anywhere?

"The new Delta class will be designed for much cheaper operations."

CNBC

Virgin Galactic launches first tourist flight to space

Virgin Galactic flew its second commercial spaceflight on Thursday, its first carrying private-paying tourists.

SpaceNews

Virgin Galactic conducts first space tourist suborbital flight

Virgin Galactic took its first private astronaut customers on a suborbital spaceflight Aug. 10, nearly two decades after it started selling tickets.

Teslarati

Virgin Galactic completes their first all civilian flight

Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its first all-civilian flight this morning, carrying three civilians and three crew members to space aboard their...

The Launch Pad

Virgin Galactic Launches First Space Tourist Mission

After nearly two decades of anticipation, Virgin Galactic achieved a significant milestone today by successfully sending its first private astronaut customers on a suborbital spaceflight.

Air launch to Suborbital flight

Spaceport America


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 8 hours ago
Starlink Group 9-11
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 4B
Success
3 days, 14 hours ago
Haiyang 4-01
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Next generation Chinese ocean salinity measurements satellite to study ocean climatic changes and its effects on ecology and biological cycles.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 16 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-69
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 20 hours ago
Koreasat 6A
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The Koreasat 6A spacecraft, built by Thales Alenia Space, will have 20 transponders for fixed satellite services and six for TV broadcasting to repla…


Kinetica 1
Success
6 days, 9 hours ago
15 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch of 15 satellites on share-ride to SSO: * Shiyan 26 A/B/C * Jilin-1 High Resolution-05B * Jilin-1 Platform-02A-03 * Yunyao-1 31-36 * Xig…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 9-10
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
PIESAT-2 01-04
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the Chinese Earth observation satellite company PIESAT.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 6-77
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes (Protosat-1)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Launch of a yet to identified satellite to SSO for an undisclosed customer. The customer is highly likely to be Low Earth Orbit communication satelli…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-31
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…