2023 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight
Virgin Galactic "Unity" 25 was a sub-orbital spaceflight by Virgin Galactic that took place on 25 May 2023. The flight used their SpaceShipTwo spaceplane VSS "Unity". The crew consisted of six Virgin Galactic employees. "Unity" 25 was the first spaceflight for the company since "Unity" 22 in 2021, when founder Richard Branson flew to space.
Background.
"Unity" 25 was the first spaceflight for Virgin Galactic since Richard Branson flew to space in July 2021. The company had planned to fly a research flight for the Italian Air Force, "Unity" 23, later that year, but the fleet was temporarily grounded following an error during Branson's flight, along with upgrades and modifications being made to the vehicles. Virgin Galactic plans to fly its first commercial flight in late June 2023, following "Unity" 25's success.
Crew.
The crew of "Unity" 25 included two pilots and four passengers, all being employees at Virgin Galactic. Both pilots have flown SpaceShipTwo to space previously, and CJ Sturckow has flown to space on the Space Shuttle. Of the four passengers, only Beth Moses had flown to space before.
Flight.
The mission was Virgin Galactic's fifth spaceflight. VMS "Eve", a WhiteKnightTwo mothership, took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, and carried VSS "Unity" in a parasite configuration before releasing it. From there, the spaceplane ignited its rocket engine and flew to over in altitude, above the U.S. definition for the start of space, but below the FAI-defined Kármán line at . It then reentered the atmosphere and landed on the same runway it took off from.
References.
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