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Virgin GalacticSpaceShipTwoMojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight

VSS Enterprise GF20

Launched

August 2, 2012

Launch Successful

Summary

VSS Enterprise GF20 launched on a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo from Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight on August 2, 2012. It was Virgin Galactic's 21st launch and 4th this year. It was the 21st SpaceShipTwo flight and the 4th 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.
Booster
No booster details on record.
Mission
Test Flight · Suborbital (Sub)
Milestone
21st SpaceShipTwo flight · 4th this yearVirgin Galactic's 21st launch4th this year

Crew

2 people

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

Map of Mojave Air and Space Port

Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight

21st launch from Mojave Air and Space Port, 4th this year · 40th from Air launch to Suborbital flight

53 launches from this pad · 86 from Air launch to Suborbital flight

15 days after the previous launch from this pad

Questions

When did VSS Enterprise GF20 launch?

VSS Enterprise GF20 launched on August 2, 2012. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.

Where can I watch VSS Enterprise GF20?

No webcast is on record for this launch.

What rocket launched VSS Enterprise GF20?

SpaceShipTwo, flown by Virgin Galactic. SpaceShipTwo spec sheet

Where did VSS Enterprise GF20 launch from?

Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight.

What orbit was VSS Enterprise GF20 going to?

Suborbital (Sub), a test flight mission.