Virgin Galactic is the spaceflight company within the Virgin Group. It developed a commercial spacecraft and aims to provide suborbital space for space travelers and a suborbital launch for space science missions. Virgin Galactic plans to provide the orbital human spaceflights as well. SpaceShipTwo, the Virgin Galactic suborbital spacecraft, is a plane launched from under the aircraft carrier known as White Knight Two.
Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson initially stated that he hopes to see the inaugural flight at the end of 2009, but this date has been postponed on several occasions, most recently in October 2014 on the flight loss of SpaceShipTwo VSS Company . Branson stated that Virgin Galactic "is in the best position in the world" to provide air travel 3000 mph rocket-powered to earth. In October 2017, Branson suggested that he can travel into space in SpaceShipTwo within six months.
Video Virgin Galactic
History and operations
Initial creation and activity
Virgin Galactic was founded in 2004 by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who previously founded Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Group airlines, and which has a long history of balloons and record-breaking activities. As part of Branson's corporate promotions, he has added variations of Virgin Galactic livery to his personal business jet, Dassault Falcon 900EX "Galactic girl" (G-GALX).
Aircraft Company
The Spaceship Company (TSC) was founded by Richard Branson through Virgin Group (which owns 70%), and Burt Rutan through Scaled Composites (owned 30%), to build commercial spacecraft and launch spacecraft. From the time of formation of TSC in 2005, the launch customers were Virgin Galactic, contracted to purchase five SpaceShipTwos and two WhiteKnightTwos; The scaled composites were contracted to develop and build the initial prototype of WK2 and SS2, and then TSC started an advanced vehicle production that began in 2008. In July 2014, TSC was only half way through completion of the second SpaceShipTwo, and has begun development of the second WhiteKnightTwo.
Commencement of sub-space test flight
In July 2008, Richard Branson estimated the women's space shipping will take place in 18 months. In October 2009, Virgin Galactic announced that an early flight would be made from Spaceport America "in two years." Later that year, Scaled Composite announced that the first SpaceShipTwo aviator flight of the White Knight Two will be in early 2010. Both planes fly together in March 2010. The credibility of the early promises from the date of launch by Virgin Galactic was questioned in October 2014 by its chief executive, George Whitesides, when he told The Guardian : "We have changed dramatically as a company.When I joined in 2010, we were mostly marketing organizations.We can now design, build, test and fly a rocket motors alone and all in Mojave, which I feel is not done anywhere else on the planet ".
On December 7, 2009, SpaceShipTwo was launched in Mojave Spaceport. Branson told 300 people in attendance, each of whom had ordered rides of $ 200,000 each, that the flight would start "in 2011". However, in April 2011, Branson announced a further delay, saying "I hope 18 months from now, we will sit on a spaceship and head into space". In February 2012, SpaceShipTwo completed 15 flight tests attached to White Knight Two, and an additional 16 glide tests, the latest in September 2011. A SpaceShipTwo-powered rocket flight test finally took place on April 29, 2013, with a combustion engine with a duration of 16 seconds. The short flight starts at an altitude of 47,000 feet, and reaches a maximum height of 55,000 feet. While SS2 reaches Mach 1.2 speed (920 mph), this is less than half the 2,000 mph speed predicted by Richard Branson. The supersonic SpaceShipTwo flight reaches 1,100 mph for 20 seconds; while this is an increase, it's far from 2,500 mph for the 70 seconds it takes to bring six passengers into space. However, Branson is still announcing its spacecraft will be able to "launch 100 satellites daily".
On May 14, 2013, Richard Branson stated at Kris Fade Morning Show Virgin Radio Dubai that he will be on the first public plane of SpaceShipTwo, which has been rescheduled again, this time until December 25, 2013. "Maybe I'll dress up as Father Christmas" Branson. The third rocket-powered test flight from SpaceShipTwo took place on January 10, 2014 and successfully tested the Space Response Reaction Control System (RCS) and the new thermal protection layer installed in the vehicle boom. Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides said "We are getting closer to our target to start commercial services by 2014". Interviewed by The Observer on his 90th birthday in July 2014, Branson's mother, Hawa, told reporter Elizabeth Day about her intention to go into space. Asked when it might be, he replied: "I think this is the end of the year", adding after the pause, "It's always 'end of year'".
In September 2014, Richard Branson described the dates intended for the first commercial flight as February or March 2015; at the time of this announcement, new plastic-based fuels have not been turned on in flight. To date, three SS2 test flights only reach a height of about 71,000 feet, about 13 miles; to receive a Federal Aviation Administration license to transport passengers, the aircraft must complete the test mission at full speed and 62 miles high. After the announcement of further delay, the British newspaper The Sunday Times reported that Branson faced reaction from those who had booked flights with Virgin Galactic, with the company having received $ 80 million in fees and deposits. Tom Bower, author of Branson: The Man behind the Mask , told the Sunday Times: "They spent 10 years trying to perfect one machine and failed, they are now trying to use a different machine and into space in six months.It's just not possible. "BBC Science Editor David Shukman commented in October 2014 that" Branson's passion and determination is not in doubt, but his last promises launched the first passenger journey at the end of the year this has started to look unrealistic a few months ago. "
Loss in the VSS Enterprise flight October 2014
At 10:51 am PST October 31, 2014, the fourth rocket test flight from one of the company's SpaceShipTwo aircraft, VSS Enterprise , ended in disaster, as it broke out in the air, with debris falling into the Mojave Desert at California, shortly after being released from its mother. Initial reports linked losses to an unidentified "flight anomaly". The flight was SpaceShipTwo's first test with new plastic-based fuels, replacing the original - a rubber-based solid fuel that does not meet expectations. Co-pilot 39-year-old Michael Alsbury was killed and Peter Siebold's 43-year-old pilot was seriously wounded.
Investigations and media comments
Initial investigations found that the engine and the propellant tank were intact, indicating that there was no fuel explosion. Telemetry and cockpit video data suggests that instead, the air braking system appears to have been spreading improperly and too early, for unknown reasons, and that the plane has crumbled in the next few seconds.
Chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Council Christopher Hart said on November 2, 2014 that investigators have determined the SpaceShipTwo tail system should have been released for deployment because the plane traveled about 1.4 times the speed of sound; Instead, the tail started spinning as it flew at Mach 1. "I'm not saying that this is the cause of the accident We have months and months of investigation to determine the cause." Asked if the pilot's error was a possible factor, Hart said: "We look at all these issues to determine what is the main cause of this accident." He noted that it was also unclear how the tail mechanism began to spin after it was opened, because the maneuver required a separate pilot command that was never given, and whether the plane's position in the air and its speed somehow enabled the tail to swing freely on its own.
In November 2014, Branson and Virgin Galactic were criticized for their efforts to keep the company out of disaster by referring to pilot tests as Scaled Composites employees. Virgin Galactic's official statement on October 31, 2014 says: "Virgin Galactic partners, Scaled Composites conducted SpaceShipTwo flight tests the previous day. [...] The local government has confirmed that one of the two Scaled Composites pilots died during the crash." This is in stark contrast to public communications released earlier about the success of group aviation, which routinely presents pilots, crafts, and projects within the same organizational structure, as "Virgin Galactic" flights or "Galactic team" activities. The BBC's David Shukman commented that: "Even when the details come up about what's wrong, this is definitely a major setback for companies that want to pioneer a new space tourism industry.Confidence is everything and this will not push the long list of celebrities and millionaire customers waiting for the first flight them ".
At a hearing in Washington DC on July 28, 2015, and a press release on the same day, NTSB cited inadequate design safety, poor pilot training, lack of strict FAA supervision and a potentially anxious co-pilot with no recent aviation experience as an important factor in the 2014 crash. They decided that the co-pilot, who died in the accident, prematurely opened the tail section that could be moved about ten seconds after SpaceShip Two fired its rocket engine and broke the sound barrier, resulting in the plane breaking apart. But the Council also found that the Scaled Composite unit of Northrop Grumman, which designed and flew prototype spacecraft, did not prepare well for the potential human error by providing a fail-safe system that could be safeguarded against such premature application.. "One point of human failure must be anticipated," said board member Robert Sumwalt. Instead, Scaled Composites "put all their eggs in the pilot basket properly."
NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart stressed that human factor considerations, which are not emphasized in the design, safety assessment, and operation of the SpaceShipTwo fur system, are essential for safe manned space to reduce the potential consequences of human error. "Manned commercial space is a new frontier, with many unknown risks and dangers.In such environments, safety limits around known hazards should be strictly defined and, if possible, expanded.For commercial space to be successful, we should seek and reduce the known dangers, as a prerequisite for identifying and mitigating new hazards. "In its submission to the NTSB, Virgin Galactic reported that the second SS2, which is currently nearing completion, has been modified with automatic mechanical inhibiting devices to prevent locking or unlocking during phase critical security. Explicit warnings about the precise opening key hazards have also been added to checklists and operating handbooks, and the formalized HR management approach (CRM), already used by Virgin for WK2 operations, is being adopted for SS2. However, despite the CRM issues cited as a likely cause of contributors, Virgin insists that it will not modify the cockpit viewing system.
pivot 2015 for smallsat launcher
While Virgin has been pursuing the development of smallsat launch vehicles since 2012, the company began in 2015 to make the smallsat launch business a larger part of Virgin's core business plan, as the Virgin's outer space program has experienced some delays. Part of the business is split into a new company called Virgin Orbit in 2017.
VSS Unity
Following the fall of VSS Enterprise, a replacement spacecraft flight test, VSS Unity, was set to begin after ground trials completed in August 2016. VSS Unity completed its first successful test flight in December 2016. The launch lasted ten minutes. As of January 2018, seven test launches have been completed, and on 5 April 2018, they test-fired, the first since 2014.
Maps Virgin Galactic
Investor
After an investment claimed by Virgin Group of $ 100 million in 2010, Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund, the Aabar Investments group, acquired 31.8% of Virgin Galactic's share to US $ 280 million , received exclusive regional rights to launch scientific and scientific research space flights from the capital of the United Arab Emirates. In July 2011, Aabar invested further US $ 100 million to develop a program to launch a small satellite into low Earth orbit, increasing its share of equity to 37.8%. Virgin announced in June 2014 that they were in talks with Google about a capital injection to finance development and operations. The New Mexico government has invested close to $ 200 million (£ 121 million) at the Spaceport America facility, where Virgin Galactic is the main tenant; Other commercial space companies also use this site.
Collaboration
Potential collaboration with NASA
In February 2007, Virgin announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with NASA to explore the potential for collaboration, but, to date, this only resulted in a relatively small contract in 2011 of up to $ 4.5 million for research flights.
OneWeb satellite Internet access provider
Virgin Group in January 2015, announced an investment into the OneWeb satellite constellation that provides WorldVu Internet access services. Virgin Galactic will take part of the launch contract to launch the satellite into their 1200 km orbit. The prospective launch will use the LauncherOne system under design.
Collaboration with Boom Technology
Virgin Galactic and Virgin Group collaborated with Boom Technology to create a new supersonic passenger transporter as the successor to Concorde. This new supersonic aircraft will fly on Mach 2.2 (similar to Concorde) for a 3-hour trans-Atlantic flight (half of the standard), which is projected to cost $ 2,500-10,000 per seat (half of Concorde) to load 45 passengers (Concorde holds 100 ). It is estimated that with the accumulated knowledge since the Concorde design, the new aircraft will be safer and cheaper with better fuel economy, operating costs, and aerodynamics. Boom will work with Virgin's The Spaceship Company to support design, engineering, and flight test, and manufacturing.
The initial model will be the Boom Technology XB-1 "Baby Boom" prototype Supersonic Demonstrator 1/3-size. It will be capable of trans-Pacific, LA-to-Sydney flights in 6.75 hours, traveling at 2,335 km/h (1.451 mph). XB-1 will be equipped with General Electric J85 engine, Honeywell avionics, with a composite structure made by Blue Force using TenCate Advanced Composite carbon fiber products. The first flight is scheduled for late 2017. Virgin Galactic has selected 10 units.
Operational aspects
Key Personnel
David Mackay, a former RAF test pilot, was named chief pilot for Virgin Galactic in 2011 and chief test-pilot. Steve Isakowitz was appointed president of Virgin Galactic in June 2013. In October 2016, Mike Moses replaced Steve Isakowitz as president; Isakowitz moved to Aerospace Corp. to become President and CEO; Moses was promoted from VP Operations, and had been a NASA flight director and shuttle integration manager.
Personnel
- Chairman: Richard Branson CEO
- : George Whitesides
- President: Mike Moses
The pilot corps
- Chief Pilot: Dave "Mac" Mackay
- Flight Instructor Head: Mike "Sooch" Masucci
- VP Security: Todd "Leif" Ericson
- Pilot Test: Mark "Forger" Stucky
- Pilot: Rick "CJ" Sturckow
- Pilot: Nicola Pecile
Passenger
The list of Virgin Galactic passengers is posted on the website below. The latest list of all known space tourists who have booked flights with Virgin Galactic.
Airplanes and spacecraft
Mothership
White Knight Two is a special aircraft built as a carrier and launch platform for SpaceShipTwo spacecraft and LauncherOne unmanned launch vehicle. Mains are large fixed wing aircraft with two hulls connected by center wing. Two planes planned - VMS Eve and VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett
LauncherOne system will use Boeing 747-400 as its parent. The B747 Cosmic Girl has been obtained for the task.
Spacecraft
SpaceShip Two
Richard Branson launched a rocket plane on December 7, 2009, announcing that, after testing, the aircraft will carry passengers who pay for tickets for short durations of travel just above the atmosphere. Virgin Group will initially be launched from bases in New Mexico before expanding operations around the world. Built from lightweight carbon composite material and powered by a hybrid rocket motor, the SS2 is based on the SpaceShipOne Ansari X PRIZE concept - a rocket aircraft originally lifted by a carrier before an independent launch. SS1 became the world's first private space shuttle with a series of high-altitude flights in 2004.
The program was postponed after three employees of Scaled - Todd Ivens Composites, Eric Blackwell and Charles May - were killed in a crash in Mojave on July 26, 2007, in which the blasting of nitrous oxide tanks destroyed the test site. They have observed tests from behind chain fences that do not provide protection from shrapnel and debris when tanks explode. Three other employees were injured in the blast and the company was fined for breach of health and safety rules. The cause of the accident has never been published.
The successor is twice as large, measuring 18 m (60 ft) in length; While SpaceShipOne can carry one pilot and two passengers, SS2 will have two crew and space for six passengers. In August 2013, 640 subscribers have signed up for flights, initially at a ticket price of $ 200,000 per person, but raised to $ 250,000 in May 2013. Tickets are available from over 140 "spaceship" around the world. Passengers who have sent their deposits include Tom Hanks, Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, scientist and businessman Alan Finkel, Australian science journalist Wilson da Silva and late Stephen Hawking.
Space SpaceShipTwo performance projection
SpaceShipTwo is projected to fly to a height of 110 km, beyond the specified space limit (100 km) and extend the weightless experience for its passengers. The spacecraft will reach a top speed of 4000 km/h (2485 mph). On May 23, 2014, Virgin Galactic announced that it had abandoned the use of the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) nitrous-oxide rubber motor for SpaceShipTwo; on July 24, 2014, SNC confirmed that they have also ignored the use of this bike for the space shuttle Dream Chaser. Future testing will see SpaceShipTwo powered by a polyamide-powered gear motor.
In honor of the Star Trek science-fiction series, the first vessel was named after the fictional vessel Enterprise . To reenter the atmosphere, SpaceShipTwo folds its wings and then returns it to its original position for a non-powered down flight back to the runway. The aircraft has very limited cross-border capabilities, and until other planned spaceports are built around the world, it has to land in the area where it started. Further spaceports are planned in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere, with the intention that the spaceline will have future availability and commodities in the future.
Overview of SS2 spacecraft flight
The planned trajectory of SpaceShipTwo will reach a suborbital journey with a short time with no weight. Taken to about 16 kilometers, or 52,000 feet, under the aircraft carrier, White Knight II, after the separation of the vehicle will continue more than 100 km (KÃÆ'¡rmÃÆ'¡n line, the general definition where "space" begins). The timing of the White Knight booster launch that brought SpaceShipTwo to the landing of the spacecraft after the suborbital flight will be about 2.5 hours. The suborbital flight itself was only a fraction of the time, with weights lasting about 6 minutes. Passengers will be able to escape from their seats for 6 minutes and float in the cabin. In addition to the suborbital passenger business, Virgin Galactic will market SpaceShipTwo for a suborbital space science mission and market White Knight Two for a "small satellite" launch service. It had planned to start the RFP for the satellite business in early 2010, but the flight had not materialized by 2014. In February 2014, a crack in WhiteKnightTwo, where spars connected to the fuselage, was discovered during an inspection conducted after Virgin Galactic took ownership. plane from Composite builder scale.
LauncherOne
LauncherOne is an orbital launch vehicle publicly announced by Virgin Galactic in July 2012. It is being designed to launch a 200 kilogram (440 pound) " smallsat" to Earth orbit , with launches projected to begin in 2016. Several commercial customers have been contracted for launch, including GeoOptics, Skybox Imaging, Spaceflight Services, and Planetary Resources. Surrey Satellite Technology and Space Systems Sierra Nevada is developing satellite buses "optimized for LauncherOne design."
In October 2012, Virgin announced that LauncherOne can place 200 kg (440 pounds) in Sun-sync orbit. Virgin plans to market a 200 pound (440 pound) shipment to a Sun-sync orbit for under US $ 10,000,000 per mission, while the maximum load for the LEO mission is 230 kg (500 pounds).
Virgin Galactic has been working on LauncherOne concept since at least the end of 2008, and its technical specifications were first described in detail at the end of 2009. LauncherOne configuration is proposed to be a rocket launched twice, with liquid fuels from White Knight Two. This will make it a configuration similar to that used by Orbital Sciences' Pegasus, or a smaller version of StratoLaunch.
By 2015, Virgin Galactic established 150,000-sq.ft. a research, development and manufacturing center for LauncherOne at Long Beach Airport. The company reported in March 2015 that it is scheduled to start a LauncherOne test flight with a Newton 3 engine by the end of 2016. On June 25, 2015, the company signed a contract with OneWeb Ltd. for 39 satellite launches for its satellite constellation with options for an additional 100 launches.
Machine
LauncherOne will be a two-stage vehicle launched over the air using the Newton engine, the RP-1/LOX liquid rocket engine. The second stage will be supported by NewtonOne , a thrust engine of 16 kilonewtons (3,500Ã, lbf). Originally intended that the first phase will be supported by a larger scale design of the same basic technology as NewtonOne, called NewtonTwo , with 211 kilonewtons (47,500Ã, Â £)) thrust. Both machines have been designed, and since January 2012 the first article has been created. NewtonOne was tested to a full-length burn for five minutes. NewtonTwo performed some short duration strikes in early 2014.
NewtonThree is a 260-335-kilonewton (58,000-75,000Ã, lbf) crusher, and has just started a hot fire test in March 2015. A recent report shows that NewtonThree will turn on the first stage of LauncherOne.
2015 redesign: new engine, larger payload, new carrier plane
A news report in September 2015 shows that higher loads will be achieved by longer fuel tanks and NewtonThree engines but this will mean that White Knight Two can no longer lift it to launch heights. The rocket will be brought to launch altitude by 747. The revised LauncherOne will utilize both Newton 3 and Newton 4 rocket engines.
In December 2015, Virgin announced the change to the carrier aircraft for LauncherOne, as well as a much larger design point for the rocket itself. The carrier aircraft will now be the Boeing 747, which in turn allows the larger LauncherOne to carry a heavier load than previously planned. The work on certain 747 modifications Virgin has purchased is expected to be completed by 2016, to be followed by the launch of Orbital rocket test in 2017.
Fleet
- SpaceShipTwo (spacecraft)
- VSS Enterprise (2010-2014)
- VSS Unity (2016-current)
- VSS 3 (under construction)
- VSS 4 (under construction)
- WhiteKnightTwo (motherships)
- VMS Eve (2008-present)
- Boeing 747 (parent)
- Cosmic Girl (2015-present)
Commercial spaceflight location
In 2008 it was announced that a launch test for the fleet of two White Knight Two aircraft carriers and five or more SpaceShipTwo space shuttle planes will take place from Mojave Spaceport, where Scaled Composites is building the spacecraft. International architectural competition for the design of Virgin Galactic's operating base, Spaceport America in New Mexico, saw the contract awarded to URS and Foster Partners architects. In the same year Virgin Galactic announced that it would eventually operate in Europe from Spaceport Sweden or even from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.
While the initial plan called for flight operations to transfer from the California desert to the new spaceport after the completion of the space port, Virgin Galactic has not completed the development and test program SpaceShipTwo. In October 2010, a 3,000 m (10,000 ft) spaceport at Spaceport America opened, with SpaceShipTwo "VSS Enterprise" being delivered to a site carried under Virgin Galactic's Mother Ship Eve aircraft.
Competition
Virgin Galactic is not the only company that pursues a suborbital spacecraft for tourism. Blue Origin is developing a suborbital flight with the New Shepard spacecraft. Although more confident about his plans, Jeff Bezos says the company is developing a spacecraft that will take off and land vertically and bring three or more astronauts to the edge of space. The New Shepard had flown over the Karman line, landed and returned above the Karman line again.
On September 16, 2014, SpaceX and Boeing were awarded a contract as part of NASA's CCtCap program to develop their Crew Dragon and CST-100 Starliner spacecraft respectively. Both are capsule designs to bring crew into orbit, a commercial market different from those handled by Virgin Galactic.
The now defunct XCOR Aerospace also works on the Virgin Galactic-powered rocket-plane for years; The suborbital Lynx XCOR vehicle is under development for over a decade, and its predecessor, XCOR EZ-Rocket actually flew, but the company closed its doors in 2017.
Criticism
There was a series of delays for the SS2 flight test vehicle to be operational, amid recurring guarantees from Virgin Galactic marketing that flight operations are only one or two years old. The Wall Street Journal reported in November 2014 that there was "a tension between Mr. Branson's optimistic projection and the constant obstacles that challenged hundreds of company technical experts." The company has replied that "the company and its contractors have internal milestones, such as schedule and goal estimates, but the company is driven by security and completion of the flight test program before moving to commercial services." Virgin Galactic's schedule has always been consistent with the contractor's internal schedule and the changes 'never impacted flight safety'. "
See also
- Commercial astronaut
- New Mexico Spaceport Authority
- New Space
- X Prize Foundation
References
External links
- Official website
- Virgin Galactic on Twitter
- Virgin Galactic on Facebook
- Virgin Galactic in Instagram
- Aircraft Company
- Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Mothership Creates Maiden Flight
- Virgin Galactic: Let the Trip Start (Video)
- Branson And Rutan Launch New Space Transport Manufacturing Company
- US. Okays Virgin Galactic Spaceship Plans
- Spaceport New Mexico Bill Signed
- Lloyds Eyes Covering Virgin Spaceflights
- Virgin Galactic Rolls Mothership "Eve"
- Episode 38: January 23, 2011: Want to become an astronaut? Book tickets online
- Failed to launch? Spaceport America takes some hits
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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