Recent News
July 27, 2023
SPACE PERSPECTIVE SELLS 1600 TICKETS Read More
May 25, 2023
VSS UNITY RETURNS TO SPACE Read More
March 7, 2023
LOWERING COST OF SPACE TRAVEL Read More
February 17, 2023
VMS EVE TAKES FLIGHT!! Read More
August 2, 2022
COMING SOON!! ASTRONAUT CAMPUS & TRAINING FACILITY Read More
July 27, 2022
SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVEILS PATENTED CAPSULE DESIGN Read More
July 6, 2022
VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES NEXT GENERATION MOTHERSHIPS Read More
April 12, 2022
SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVAILS IMAGES OF BALLOON CAPSULE Read More
October 25, 2021
BLUE ORIGIN & SIERRA SPACE DEVELOP SPACE STATION Read More
October 8, 2021
BLUE ORIGIN ASTRONAUT TRAINS WITH DEPREZ TRAVEL Read More
October 1, 2021
DEPREZ CHARTERS ZERO-G AIRCRAFT TO ROCHESTER Read More
August 5, 2021
VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES Q2 FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR 2021 Read More
July 15, 2021
DEPREZ TRAVEL AND RMSC ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP Read More
July 15, 2021
MUSK BOOKED SEAT ON VIRGIN GALACTIC Read More
June 25, 2021
FAA OK'S VIRGIN GALACTIC TO LAUNCH CUSTOMERS TO SPACE Read More
June 18, 2021
SPACE PERSPECTIVE CONFIRMS SUCCESSFUL TEST FLIGHT Read More
May 22, 2021
VIRGIN GALACTIC'S FIRST HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT FROM NM Read More
February 25, 2021
VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES Q4 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020 Read More
November 23, 2020
MEET PILOT CJ STURCKOW Read More
October 27, 2020
VIRGIN GALACTIC HIRES 2 NEW PILOTS Read More
June 22, 2020
VIRGIN GALACTIC SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH NASA Read More
May 1, 2020
VSS UNITY SPACESHIPTWO GOES SOLO IN NEW MEXICO Read More
February 25, 2020
ONE SMALL STEP BEGINS YOUR JOURNEY TO SPACE Read More
February 13, 2020
VSS UNITY MOVES TO SPACEPORT AMERICA Read More
October 16, 2019
YOUR SPACE SUITS HAVE BEEN REVEALED Read More
August 22, 2019
SPACEPORT AMERICA: UNVEILING NEW AREAS Read More
February 22, 2019
VSS UNITY RETURNS TO SPACE WITH 3 ONBOARD Read More
January 7, 2019
NEW MOMENT IN SPACE HISTORY Read More
December 13, 2018
VIRGIN GALACTIC'S VSS UNITY REACHES SPACE Read More
December 7, 2018
ORION SPAN - DEMOCRATIZATION OF SPACE STARTS TODAY! Read More
July 26, 2018
VG ANNOUNCES VSS UNITY BREAKS MACH 2 Read More
July 6, 2018
VG ANNOUNCES FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT WITH ITALY Read More
April 9, 2018
SPACE HOTEL EYES 2021 LAUNCH DATE Read More
April 5, 2018
ORION SPAN ANNOUNCES WORLD'S 1st LUXURY SPACE HOTEL Read More
April 5, 2018
VSS UNITY'S FIRST POWERED TEST FLIGHT Read More
August 4, 2017
UPDATE: VSS UNITY 6th GLIDE FLIGHT Read More
May 1, 2017
VSS UNITY'S FIRST FEATHER FLIGHT Read More
December 3, 2016
VSS UNITY COMPLETES HER FIRST GLIDE FLIGHT Read More
September 8, 2016
VIRGIN GALACTIC IS IN THE AIR AGAIN! Read More
May 22, 2015
VG FIRST MAJOR MILESTONE IN RETURN TO FLIGHT PLAN Read More
Dec 5, 2014
NASA LAUNCHES ORION SPACECRAFT - FIRST STEP TO MARS Read More
May 23, 2014
VG VIRGIN GALACTIC ROCKET MOTOR MILESTONE Read More
January 10, 2014
VG 3rd POWERED TEST FLIGHT SUCESSFUL Read More
September 5, 2013
VG ACHIEVES SECOND SUPERSONIC FLIGHT Read More
May 29, 2013
VG SEAT NEXT TO LEONARDO DICAPRIO AUCTIONED FOR $1.5 MILLION Read More
May 29, 2013
CURRAN INTERVIEWED BY DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE Read More
June 28, 2012
SPACE TOURISM IS HERE! NY TIMES INTERVIEWS CRAIG CURRAN Read More
VSS Unity Completes 1st Glide Flight
|
|
|---|
Decebmer 3, 2016 -Mojave, CA - Although Unity’s first ‘captive carry’ flight in September was a major milestone, today was in some ways even more significant, as she was released from VMS Eve and glided home on her own for the very first time. Pilots Dave Mackay and Mark Stucky were in the cockpit for the flight, and it was an emotional moment for all involved as VSS Unity made a smooth landing on the Mojave runway. The team was particularly delighted that Richard was able join them on the flightline to witness and celebrate the milestone.
This first glide flight focused on testing the fundamental performance and handling qualities of VSS Unity. To this end, the vehicle was ballast-free, so at its lightest weight and restricted to a ‘speed limit’. Once the team has analysed the data and confirmed the test objectives have been met, we will move towards the next test flight in the glide flight sequence.
Each flight will have a set of objectives, and will cumulatively allow Virgin Galactic to test and prove the performance of the vehicle in a variety of conditions, flight path angles and airspeeds. This means each glide flight will test a different scenario, which is important to prove out as VSS Unity will, of course, glide home to a runway landing after each space flight once in commercial service. Each flight is also an opportunity to test the spaceship’s emergency abort modes; should a spaceflight have to be curtailed prematurely for any reason, the vehicle will ultimately perform a glide back to the runway.
About Galactic Experiences by DePrez
Galactic Experiences by DePrez is a member of the DePrez Group Of Travel Companies, which is the largest independent travel management firm in central and western NY. Founded in 1929, the group provides extensive and diverse travel services, including cruise sales by Just Cruises, Inc. a top 50 cruise-only agency in N.A., meeting and conventions planning to fortune 100 companies and large associations, corporate travel management, and luxury travel leisure sales through Whitaker & DePrez Travel Partners LLC.
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic, owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and aabar Investments PJS, is on track to be the world’s first commercial spaceline. To date, the company has accepted nearly $80 million in deposits from approximately 630 individuals, which is approximately 10% more than the total number of people who have ever gone to space. The new spaceship (VSS Unity) and carrier craft (WhiteKnightTwo, VMS Eve) have both been developed for Virgin Galactic’s vehicle fleet by Mojave-based Scaled Composites. Founded by Burt Rutan, Scaled developed SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 claimed the $10 million Ansari X Prize as the world’s first privately developed manned spacecraft. Virgin Galactic’s new vehicles, which will be manufactured by The Spaceship Company in Mojave, Calif., share much of the same basic design, but are being built to carry six customers, or the equivalent scientific research payload, on suborbital space flights. The vehicles will allow an out-of-the-seat, zero-gravity experience with astounding views of the planet from the black sky of space for tourist astronauts and a unique microgravity platform for researchers. The VSS UNity and VMS Eve test flight program is well under way, leading to Virgin Galactic commercial operations, which will be based at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
For More Information Please Contact:
CRAIG CURRAN , ASA
Galactic Experiences By DePrez, DePrez Travel Bureau, Inc.
585-442-8900 X224
