VSS Unity

"VSS Voyager" redirects here. Not to be confused with USS Voyager.
VSS Unity
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity rollout, 19 February 2016, FAITH hangar, Mojave, California
General information
TypeScaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo
ManufacturerThe Spaceship Company
OwnersVirgin Galactic
Construction number2[1]
RegistrationN202VG[2]
History
First flight
  • 8 September 2016[3]
    (captive carry flight)
  • 3 December 2016
    (glide flight)
  • 5 April 2018
    (powered flight)
  • 13 December 2018
    (spaceflight dependent upon definition)
In service2016–2024
FateRetired 8 June 2024


VSS Unity (Virgin Space Ship Unity, registration: N202VG), previously referred to as VSS Voyager, is a retired SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It was the second SpaceShipTwo to be built and was part of the Virgin Galactic fleet. It first reached space as defined by the United States (above 50 miles or 80.5 km) on 13 December 2018, on the VP-03 mission.[4]

Unity was able to reach space as defined by the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the FAA, by going over 50 miles (80.5 km) above sea level. However, it was unable to go above the Kármán line, the FAI's defined space boundary of 100 km (62.1 miles).

VSS Unity was rolled out on 19 February 2016[5][6] and completed ground-based system integration testing in September 2016, prior to its first flight on 8 September 2016.[3][7][8]

Unity was retired on 8 June 2024 after its final flight took place on that date, as Virgin Galactic shifted its focus to the next generation Delta-class vehicles.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IBT-2014-11-05 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Irene Klotz (5 November 2014). "New spaceship restoring hope after Virgin Galactic crash". SpaceDaily. Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Update from Mojave: VSS Unity's First Flight Test Completed - Virgin Galactic". virgingalactic.com. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  4. ^ @virgingalactic (19 February 2016). "Virgin Galactic announces new ship name" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "New SpaceShipTwo Rollout Friday". AVweb. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Virgin Galactic unveils new space tourism rocket plane". CBC News. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Virgin Galactic's new SpaceShipTwo gets off the ground, two years after fatal mishap". GeekWire. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference vg20160310 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Foust, Jeff (8 May 2024). "Virgin Galactic plans higher mothership flight rate with next-generation spaceplanes". SpaceNews. Retrieved 9 May 2024.