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 sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity which launched on 11 July 2021. The crew consisted of pilots David Mackay and Michael Masucci as well as passengers Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses, and Richard Branson.
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Background
On 7 June 2021, Jeff Bezos announced that he planned to be on the first crewed flight of his company Blue Origin, which meant being aboard the first crewed flight to space (suborbital) of a private enterprise fully funded by private money. In the following days, rumors began to spread that Richard Branson was filing paperwork to make a similar suborbital flight as part of his own private enterprise, beating Bezos to claim such a first achievement. There has been debate whether Virgin Galactic, which gets close to, but does not reach, the Kármán line, would in fact be achieving such a first commercial private flight to space. The United States and NASA defines the border of space to be 80 km (50 miles) above Earth (which is approximately the minimum possible altitude a satellite on a highly elliptical Earth orbit can reach and sustain its velocity).
Despite the rivalry (dubbed the "billionaire space race"), shortly before the flight, Bezos offered well wishes to Branson. SpaceX founder and chief executive officer Elon Musk personally met with Branson shortly before the flight.
Crew
| 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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Flight
On 11 July 2021, Unity's mother ship VMS Eve carried VSS Unity in a parasite configuration to be drop launched. At T+2:38, Unity reached apogee at a 282,773 ft (86,189 m) altitude (below the FAI's space boundary, the Kármán line's upper border at 100 km (62 mi) altitude, but above the United States' space boundary at 80 km (50 mi) and just above the mesopause at 86.182 km (53.551 mi). The altitude at apogee qualified the crew as FAA commercial astronauts.
See also
In Spanish: Virgin Galactic Unity 22 para niños
