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Virgin GalacticSpaceShipTwoMojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight
VSS Enterprise GF16
Launched
September 29, 2011
Summary
VSS Enterprise GF16 launched on a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo from Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight on September 29, 2011. It was Virgin Galactic's 17th launch and 14th this year. It was the 17th SpaceShipTwo flight and the 14th this year. The payload was bound for Suborbital (Sub). 2 crew members flew: Mark Stucky and Clint Nichols. The spacecraft was VSS Enterprise (N339SS).
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- SpaceShipTwo · Virgin Galactic
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Test Flight · Suborbital (Sub)
- Milestone
- 17th SpaceShipTwo flight · 14th this yearVirgin Galactic's 17th launch14th this year
Crew
Mark StuckyPilot · VG · age 52 · 8th flight
Clint NicholsPilot · VG · age 41 · 7th flight
Spacecraft
VSS Enterprise (N339SS)
VSS Enterprise was the first SpaceShipTwo (SS2) spaceplane, built by Scaled Composites for Virgin Galactic. As of 2004, it was planned to be the first of five commercial suborbital SS2 spacecraft planned by Virgin Galactic. Enterprise was destroyed during a powered test flight on 31 October 2014, killing one pilot, Michael Alsbury, and seriously injuring another, Peter Siebold. An investigation revealed the accident was caused by premature deployment of the "feathering" system, the ship's descent device; the NTSB also faulted the spacecraft's design for lacking fail-safe mechanisms that could have deterred or prevented early deployment.
- Destination: Suborbital
- Mission length: under an hour
VSS Enterprise successfully landed back at the Mojave Air and Space Port after this flight.
Flight preview
About this launch
Free glide test flight of VSS Enterprise.
Pad
Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight
17th launch from Mojave Air and Space Port, 14th this year · 36th from Air launch to Suborbital flight
53 launches from this pad · 86 from Air launch to Suborbital flight
94 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Air launch to Suborbital flightOpen in maps
Questions
When did VSS Enterprise GF16 launch?
VSS Enterprise GF16 launched on September 29, 2011. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch VSS Enterprise GF16?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched VSS Enterprise GF16?
SpaceShipTwo, flown by Virgin Galactic. SpaceShipTwo spec sheet
Where did VSS Enterprise GF16 launch from?
Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight.
What orbit was VSS Enterprise GF16 going to?
Suborbital (Sub), a test flight mission.