Watch the Launch

Additional Media

🔴Unity 25 - Virgin Galactic Return to Flight

🔴 After a nearly two-year pause in flights, starting after a deviation from controlled airspace during Sir Richard Branson’s flight in July 2021, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity is being pr...

VSS Unity 25

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Suborbital
Mission: Test Flight

Suborbital Spaceport America Air launch to Suborbital flight

Virgin Galactic return to space mission ahead of the first commercial flight.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • May 25, 2023, 4:41 p.m.

VSS Unity has landed.


Cosmic_Penguin • May 25, 2023, 4:24 p.m.

SS2 drop


Cosmic_Penguin • May 25, 2023, 4:20 p.m.

Probable close to drop time.


Cosmic_Penguin • May 25, 2023, 4:08 p.m.

Waiting for cabin preparations to complete.


Cosmic_Penguin • May 25, 2023, 4:02 p.m.

SS2 drop soon.


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


Michael Masucci

Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Frederick W. Sturckow

Pilot - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Aug. 11, 1961
Age: 64

Christopher Huie

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Jamila Gilbert

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Luke Mays

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: None
Age: None

Beth Moses

Passenger - configurations.Country.None - ( VG )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: May 30, 1980
Age: 45

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

(VG)

Founder: Richard Branson Founded: 2004 Successes: 62 Failures: 5 Pending: 1

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

CNBC

Virgin Galactic completes Unity 25 spaceflight in key final test before commercial service

Virgin Galactic launched its first spaceflight in nearly two years on Thursday, a key final test for the space tourism company before it begins flying commercial passengers.

NASASpaceflight

VSS Unity conducts first powered flight since Branson’s trip in 2021

After a nearly two-year pause in flights, starting after a deviation from controlled airspace during Sir Richard Branson’s flight in July 2021, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity made its first powered flight since the eventful Uni…

SpaceNews

Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle flew to space for the first time in nearly two years May 25 on what the company projected to be the vehicle’s final test flight before commencing commercial operations.

CNBC

Virgin Galactic targets May 25 for first spaceflight since Richard Branson’s trip

Virgin Galactic is targeting as early as May 25 for the launch of its next spaceflight, which marks both its first in nearly two years since flying founder Sir Richard Branson and its planned last step before beginning commercial service.

CNBC

Virgin Galactic quarterly loss widens while company preps for spaceflight return this month

Virgin Galactic is aiming to fly its first spaceflight in nearly two years later this month, but the company’s first quarter loss widened dramatically as it funds its fleet growth.

Air launch to Suborbital flight

Spaceport America


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 12 hours ago
Transporter 15 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
2 days, 22 hours ago
Soyuz MS-28
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Soyuz MS-28 will carry three cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome…


Nuri
Success
3 days, 15 hours ago
CAS500-3
LC-2 - Naro Space Center, South Korea

CAS500-3 is a South Korean Earth observation satellites to be used by the Ministry of Science and ICT for space technology verification and space sci…


Angara 1.2
Success
4 days, 17 hours ago
Kosmos (Unknown Payload)
35/1 - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity and Cosmos series numbering not confirmed. Unknown Payload(s) for the Russian military.


Long March 2F/G
Success
5 days, 3 hours ago
Shenzhou 22
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Shenzhou 22 (Chinese: 神舟二十二号) will be the 22nd flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft will be launched without crew to replace Shenzhou 20 th…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 22 hours ago
Starlink Group 11-30
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 6-79
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 3B/E
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
TJSW-21
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 6-78
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Follow My Speed (BlackSky Gen-3 3)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Note: Payload and customer identities were not publicly announced. 3rd of the BlackSky Gen-3 high resolution Earth-imaging satellites.