Virgin Galactic Unity 25

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 50 mi (80 km) in altitude, above the U.S. definition for the start of space, but below the FAI-defined Kármán line at 100 km (62 mi). It then reentered the atmosphere and landed on the same runway it took off from.

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