NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Suborbital
Success

VF-01

Launch Time
Fri Feb 22, 2019 16:53 UTC

First flight of SpaceShipTwo with a passenger. While the test flight was successful, post-flight inspections found a serious issue with the horizontal stabilizer that could have led to a catastrophic failure, according to the Washington Post.

Rocket

SpaceShipTwo
Image Credit: Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic
Status: Retired
Payload to LEO: 0 kg
Payload to GTO: 0 kg
Stages: 1
Strap-ons: 0

Vehicles

Mojave Air and Space Port

VSS Unity

Flight #5
71 day turnaround

Mission Details

VF-01

VSS Unity VF-01 was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity piloted by David Mackay and co-piloted by Mike Masucci. VF-01 was a demonstration of the craft's ability to carry passengers. Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut trainer Beth Moses acted as a test passenger, evaluating the experience for potential customers. Unity reached an altitude of 89.9 kilometers during the test.

Location

VMS Eve, Mojave Air and Space Port, California, USA

Stats

SpaceShipTwo

9th mission
1st mission of 2019
8th successful mission
5th consecutive successful mission