The Approaching Dream of Space Travel... Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes Second Spacecraft Glide Flight Test

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Private space exploration company Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its second gliding flight test of its spacecraft for commercial space travel, CNBC and others reported on the 25th (local time).

According to reports, Virgin Galactic's spacecraft 'Unity' was carried by the aircraft 'Eve' from the launch site in New Mexico, USA, to an altitude of 51,000 feet (15.5 km) and then performed a gliding flight. The spacecraft flew at a maximum speed of 650 miles per hour (1,046 km/h) at one point, and the pilots attempted various maneuvers until reaching the runway.

Virgin Galactic stated that after reviewing the data from this test flight, it plans to proceed with the next phase, a rocket-powered spacecraft flight test. George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, emphasized, "We are very excited to have successfully completed this challenging test flight today. It was a very important experiment, and it means that we can now prepare for electric-powered flight vehicles."

Virgin Galactic, a private space exploration company led by British billionaire Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group, initially planned to start commercial space travel this summer but postponed the schedule to next year. Currently, about 600 people have purchased tickets to participate in Virgin Galactic's low Earth orbit commercial spaceflights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.