Virgin Galactic Unity 22 facts for kids
VSS Unity in February 2016
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| Mission type | Crewed suborbital spaceflight |
|---|---|
| Operator | Virgin Galactic |
| Apogee | 86.182 kilometres (53.551 miles) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | VSS Unity |
| Spacecraft type | SpaceShipTwo |
| Manufacturer | The Spaceship Company |
| Crew | |
| Members |
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| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 11 July 2021, 15:04 UTC |
| Launch site | Spaceport America Runway 34 |
| Deployed from | VMS Eve |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 11 July 2021, 15:40 UTC |
| Landing site | Spaceport America Runway 34 |
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Virgin Galactic Unity 22 was a special trip into space, but not all the way into orbit around Earth. It happened on July 11, 2021. The spacecraft, called VSS Unity, was part of the SpaceShipTwo family. On this flight, there were two pilots, David Mackay and Michael Masucci. There were also four passengers, including Sir Richard Branson, who owns Virgin Galactic. This flight was a big step for private space travel.
The Race to Space
In 2021, there was an exciting "space race" between very rich business owners. On June 7, 2021, Jeff Bezos, who started Amazon, said he would fly on the first crewed flight of his own space company, Blue Origin. This meant he wanted to be the first person to fly into space on a private spacecraft paid for by private money.
Soon after, rumors started that Richard Branson, who owns Virgin Galactic, wanted to do a similar flight. He hoped to fly before Bezos and be the first to achieve this milestone.
What Counts as Space?
There was some discussion about what counts as "space." The Kármán line is an imaginary boundary 100 kilometers (62 miles) above Earth. Many international groups say this is where space begins. However, the United States and NASA say space begins at 80 kilometers (50 miles) up. This is about the lowest height a satellite can stay in orbit.
Even with this friendly competition, Jeff Bezos wished Richard Branson good luck before the flight. Elon Musk, who started SpaceX, also met with Branson just before his trip.
Meet the Crew
The Unity 22 mission had six people on board. Two were pilots, and four were passengers.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot |  David MackayThird spaceflight |
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| Co-Pilot |  Michael MasucciSecond spaceflight |
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| Passenger | Sirisha Bandla First spaceflight |
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| Passenger | Colin Bennett First spaceflight |
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| Passenger | Beth Moses Second spaceflight |
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| Passenger | Richard Branson First spaceflight |
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- David Mackay (Pilot): This was his third flight into space.
- Michael Masucci (Co-Pilot): This was his second spaceflight.
- Sirisha Bandla (Passenger): This was her first time in space.
- Colin Bennett (Passenger): This was his first time in space.
- Beth Moses (Passenger): This was her second spaceflight.
- Richard Branson (Passenger): This was his first time in space.
The Flight Journey
On July 11, 2021, the VSS Unity spacecraft did not launch from the ground like a rocket. Instead, it was carried high into the sky by a larger "mother ship" called VMS Eve. This is like a smaller plane being carried by a bigger one.
Once high enough, VSS Unity was released from VMS Eve. It then fired its own rocket engine to zoom even higher. The spacecraft reached its highest point, called apogee, at an altitude of 86.182 kilometers (about 53.5 miles).
This altitude was below the Kármán line (100 km) but above the United States' space boundary (80 km). Because they crossed the 80 km mark, the crew members were officially recognized as FAA commercial astronauts. This means they flew into space on a private, non-government flight.
