Virgin's passenger spaceship completes first rocket test flight
A six-passenger spaceship owned by an offshoot of Virgin Group fired its rocket engine in flight for the first time on Monday, a key step toward the start of commercial service in about a year, Virgin owner Richard Branson said.
The powered test flight over California's Mojave Desert lasted 16 seconds and broke the sound barrier.
"It was stunning," Branson told Reuters. "You could see it very, very clearly. Putting the rocket and the spaceship together and seeing it perform safely, it was a critical day."
Virgin's passenger spaceship completes first rocket test flight | Reuters