Category: Scaled Composites

Spaceship Company Ramps Up in Mojave

Scaled Composites, space tourism, Spaceship Company, SpaceShipTwo, virgin galactic 0

The Spaceship Company in Mojave is ramping up to produce WhiteKnightTwos and SpaceShipTwos. We have this report from Aviation Week:

TSC was initially tasked with making one WK2 and four SS2s for Virgin Galactic, and Operations Director Enrico Palermo says: “I’m confident we’ll be building more.” Together with the first WK2 and SS2 already built and in test, Virgin plans to operate an initial fleet of two carriers and five spacecraft, though hopes are high that other “spaceline” customers will emerge.

For now, Palermo says, “our blinders are set on serving our first customer, and getting these spacecraft flying.” With flight tests of the first SS2 accelerating and the first rocket-powered flights expected in coming months, the configuration of the production variants of both spacecraft and carrier aircraft are close to finalization. “WK2 is flying and meeting its objectives, so that’s more or less set,” says Joe Brennan, TSC vehicle production manager, who adds that the company is also “pretty happy” with the minor design changes on the SS2 required so far.

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Scaled Composites Reports Excellent Progress on SpaceShipTwo Testing

Scaled Composites, space tourism, suborbital research, virgin galactic 0
SpaceShipTwo glides downward on its first test flight. (Photo: Mark Greenberg)

Aviation Week reports that SpaceShipTwo testing is going ahead smoothly, with Scaled Composites officials predicting an aggressive flight test schedule for 2011 and possible suborbital operations the following year:

“Testing has been going quite a bit better than we’d originally hoped, and we’ve been able to make glide flights ahead of what we’d anticipated in terms of flight-to-flight turn-around time,” says Pete Siebold, Scaled director of flight operations. The Virgin Galactic program therefore remains on target to becoming the world’s first commercial space line, with routine suborbital operations from Spaceport America, N.M., as early as 2012.

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Scaled Composites Conducts Another SpaceShipTwo Drop Test

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SpaceShipTwo glides downward on its first test flight. (Photo: Mark Greenberg)

SpaceShipTwo had another drop test yesterday in Mojave, Calif. A flight summary follows:

Flight:WK2 Flight 45 / GF03
Date:17 Nov 10Flight Time:2 hr / 11 min, 39 sec
WK2 Pilot:StuckyWK2 CoPilot:AlsburyWK2 FTE: Morgan
SS2 Pilot:SieboldSS2 CoPilot:Nichols
GS Crew:Binnie, Persall, Knupp, Inks, Bassett, Y. Fuchs, Maisler, Verderame, Zeitlin

Objectives:
Clean release
Evaluate stability and control
Stall expansion
Expand flutter envelope
Aft CG expansion with water ballast tank
Pilot proficiency

Results:
All objectives achieved. Flew to a more aggressive stall indication. Expanded envelope to 246 KEAS and 3.5 g’s.

Sierra Nevada Reaches Major Engine Milestone for Dream Chaser

News, Scaled Composites, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceShipTwo, virgin galactic 0

SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE

SNC fires hybrid rocket motor and begins production on Dream Chaser Vehicle

The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems Group announces the successful completion of two critical milestones for NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Program. On September 21, 2010, SNC completed three successful test firings of a single hybrid rocket motor in one day.  SNC’s newly opened rocket test facility in San Diego County, California, hosted NASA personnel for a rocket motor manufacturing review as well as the motor firings, including one firing under vacuum ignition conditions.  The tests, which simulated a complete nominal mission profile, demonstrated the multiple restart capability of SNC’s proprietary hybrid rocket motor.  This same hybrid rocket will be used as the main propulsion system on the Dream Chaser during the orbital operations.

[Editor’s Note: Sierra Nevada is the main contractor for Scaled Composites’ RocketMotorTwo, which will power SpaceShipTwo on suborbital flights. Both vehicles are using the same propulsion system. This probably explains why Scaled Composite and Virgin Galactic officials are predicting powered test flights of SpaceShipTwo in 2011.]

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SpaceShipTwo Test Program: Two Phases Down, Five to Go

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In the video, Richard Branson speaks of commercial flights in 18-24 months, an estimate he has given previously (including 14 months ago at the Oshkosh airshow).

Aviation Week has an outline of Scaled Composites’ test program for SpaceShipTwo, which includes powered flights early next year:

The flight marks the start of the third phase in a seven-phase test program that is expected to culminate with the start of space tourism and science flights in 2012…Unpowered glide testing, which follows four captive-carriage flights to simulate SS2 approaches, will be used to refine the vehicle’s aerodynamics and low-speed handling qualities. For the Oct. 10 flight, Scaled Composites had a cover over the nozzle of the Sierra Nevada RM2 hybrid rocket, and tufts below the duct to visualize the local flow field around the composite-skin nozzle section.

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SpaceShipTwo Makes First Drop Test Flight

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Reports out of Mojave say that Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipTwo has made its first solo glide flight — a major milestone on the way to Virgin Galactic’s commercial suborbital flights. Space.com’s Leonard David reports:

Though the craft did not reach space, it was a major milestone for the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, which flew in glide mode for some 15 minutes once released from its carrier plane, WhiteKnightTwo, according Bill Deaver, an eye-witness of the test flight.

“It was perfect landing,” Deaver told SPACE.com. “It looked just spectacular.”

Once released from the huge mothership, two pilots controlled the SpaceShipTwo to a safe runway touchdown.

Popular Mechanics was on the scene and filed a account of the flight.

Government 179, SpaceShipTwo Zero

human spaceflight, News, Richard Branson, Scaled Composites, space shuttle, space tourism, virgin galactic 1

Last week, Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson predicted that SpaceShipTwo would begin commercial operations within 18 months. He gave a similar estimate during an appearance at the Oshkosh airshow 14 months ago concerning vehicle testing (above).

It was six years ago today that SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize. When Scaled Composites test pilot Brinnie Binnie landed the vehicle in Mojave, a new era of space tourism was about three years away. If Branson’s latest estimate holds, it will be about seven and a half years before tourists fly.

Since the X Prize winning flight, not a single pilot or passenger has flown into space aboard a private spacecraft. Meanwhile, 179 passengers have flown into space aboard government-built space shuttle, Soyuz and Shenzhou spacecraft.