Virgin Galactic enters the darkness and exceeds twice the wall of sound

Virgin Galactic conducted the third test flight of its VSS Unity space plane in the Mojave Desert in California, bringing Richard Branson's millionaire company closer to the dream of space tourism. After being released under the wing of its carrier plane at 1400 meters, Unity VSS ignited its rocket engine for 42 seconds pushing both pilots at a speed of Mach 2.47, or nearly two times and a half the speed of sound. The elegant spacecraft has reached an altitude of 52 km – more than half of the Kármán line (100 km above sea level) which marks the boundary between the upper atmosphere and the space – before descending safely to the Mojave Air and Space port. The VSS Unity went higher and faster than on its second test flight on May 29, when it reached a Mach 1.9 speed and increased to an altitude of 34,899 meters. The new test was designed in part to achieve a better understanding of the environment inside the pbadenger cabin, by measuring temperatures, accelerations, vibrations and other factors. The company has not said exactly when the commercial flights will start, although Branson said they could start this year. About 800 people bought a ticket for a Virgin Galactic flight, Branson told Bloomberg in a recent interview. How much do they cost? Only 250 thousand dollars per person.

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