Photo of the Day: VSS Unity Is on the Verge of Returning Back to the Edge of Space After a Successful Glide Test...

Virgin Galactic

Five days ago, Virgin Galactic successfully completed a glide test for VSS Unity above the New Mexico desert. This is SpaceShipTwo's first flight since she brought Sir Richard Branson and three co-passengers to the edge of space back in 2021.

Here are the stats from the April 26 test:

Take-off Time: 6:53 AM, MDT (5:53 AM, PDT)

Release Altitude: 47,000 ft (8.9 miles, or 14.3 kilometers)

Release Time: 7:47 AM, MDT (6:47 AM, PDT)

Landing Time: 7:56 AM, MDT (6:56 AM, PDT)

Assuming that the flight data analysis for this glide test is satisfactory, VSS Unity's next mission will be a rocket-powered suborbital flight to assess the customer experience and ground-based testing for SpaceShipTwo and her mothership, VMS Eve, prior to the launch of commercial spaceflight service from Spaceport America in just a few months. Stay tuned!

What’s next? SPACE! 🤩🌌

Following today’s flight data analysis, our next mission will be a rocket-powered spaceflight to assess the customer experience and ground-based testing prior to the launch of commercial service. More → https://t.co/7aoIpeGyRK#VirginGalactic pic.twitter.com/e0MU6YOJ8u

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) April 26, 2023