Virgin Galactic’s service aircraft simply took to the skies for the primary time in practically 16 months.
The plane, often called VMS Eve, performed a check flight from California’s Mojave Air and House Port on Wednesday (Feb. 15), Virgin Galactic introduced in a brief Twitter update (opens in new tab). The flight lasted greater than 2.5 hours and reached a most altitude of about 41,500 toes (12,650 meters), according to SpaceNews (opens in new tab), which cited flight monitoring information.
It was Eve’s first liftoff since late October 2021 (opens in new tab), when the aircraft flew to Mojave from Spaceport America in New Mexico to obtain a sequence of modifications and upgrades.
In images: Virgin Galactic’s 1st fully crewed spaceflight with Richard Branson
VMS Eve is a key piece of Virgin Galactic’s space tourism {hardware}. Throughout operational flights, the aircraft carries the corporate’s six-passenger VSS Unity spaceliner to an altitude of about 50,000 toes (15,000 m). The piloted Unity then drops free and fires up its rocket motor, powering its option to suborbital space.
The duo have performed 4 such spaceflights up to now, most not too long ago in July 2021, when Unity carried 4 passengers — together with Virgin Group founder Richard Branson — to and from the ultimate frontier.
Shortly after that flight, Virgin Galactic introduced it was going to upgrade Eve and Unity, taking each autos out of operation for a spell. This work included changing Eve’s middle pylon, the purpose between the aircraft’s twin fuselages the place Unity attaches.
Wednesday’s flight helped check the brand new pylon, amongst different options, although Eve flew solo, in line with Kelly Latimer, Virgin Galactic’s senior flight check director.
“One factor we’ll do is take it out — with none spaceship connected to it — as much as excessive altitude, cold-soak it (be sure every little thing operates in extraordinarily chilly temperature), then we actuate the hooks that will usually connect to the spaceship and gather information on how they carried out,” Latimer stated in a Q&A that the corporate posted on Wednesday (opens in new tab).
VSS Unity is again at Spaceport America, and Eve will probably be part of the spaceliner there quickly, Latimer stated.
“After we full system checks throughout preliminary flight check, Eve will fly what we name a ferry flight to New Mexico,” she stated within the Virgin Galactic Q&A. “The staff is worked up to see Eve and Unity reunited once more, and we have now some extra testing to do with the mothership and spaceship mixed — together with extra floor testing, glide and powered flight to finish the required validations of the automobile’s modifications.”
When these checkouts are executed, Virgin Galactic will presumably be able to resume crewed spaceflights. The primary of these, a research mission for the Italian Air Force, is on the right track to raise off someday this spring, Virgin Galactic representatives have stated.
Mike Wall is the creator of “Out There (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a e book concerning the seek for alien life. Comply with him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Comply with us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab).
