Virgin Galactic tests hybrid rocket motor

A hybrid rocket motor designed to propel Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipTwo into suborbital space has been sucessfully test fired in the Californian desert. In a statement which heralds the imminent arrival of the craft's test flight phase Virgin's Richard Branson commented: "SpaceShipTwo, which will air launch from Eve, is largely constructed and awaiting the start of its own test flight program later this year".

The non-toxic hybrid nitrous motor has been built by Northrop Gruman owned subsidiary Scaled Composites and its subcontractor Sierra Nevada Corporartion. An in-built safety feature will include the ability to abort the rocket engine's thrust at any moment, allowing SpaceShipTwo to simply glide back to Earth for a safe landing. If an abort is not necessary then the hybrid engine will push SS2 to over 4000 kph, allowing a flight ceiling of up to 110 km above Earth's surface.

The air-launch system, in adition, has great environmental benefits as Branson describes: "This means much less fuel is required — fuel which provides none of the toxins that are present in the solid rockets used by the space shuttle and satellite launches".

Source: Space.com/ Image Credit: Virgin Galactic

SpaceShipTwo test flight coming last qrt 2010

Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn recently dropped some hints as to when the much awaited SpaceShipTwo will finally take to sub orbital space for its test flight program. In an interview with Clark Lindsey’s Space Transport News, Whitehorn indicated that we may see White Knight II and an attached SpaceShipTwo flying by the end of 2009; however, attached does not mean that SS2 will be launched on its test flight schedule by years end - rather the combination of carrier aircraft and payload will be tested in tandem…Whitehorn rather determined that the test flight program proper for SS2 will begin in late 2010, later to be followed by a US Federal Aviation Administration licensing process that should see passenger flights to sub orbital space beginning around 2011-2012.

Source: Flight Global/Picture credit: Virgin Galactic