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

VSS Enterprise PF02

Launched

September 5, 2013

Launch Successful

Summary

VSS Enterprise PF02 launched on a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo from Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight on September 5, 2013. It was Virgin Galactic's 30th launch and 6th this year. It was the 30th SpaceShipTwo flight and the 6th 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
30th SpaceShipTwo flight · 6th this yearVirgin Galactic's 30th launch6th 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

Powered test flight of VSS Enterprise.

Pad

Map of Mojave Air and Space Port

Mojave Air and Space Port, Air launch to Suborbital flight

30th launch from Mojave Air and Space Port, 6th this year · 49th from Air launch to Suborbital flight

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

28 days after the previous launch from this pad

Questions

When did VSS Enterprise PF02 launch?

VSS Enterprise PF02 launched on September 5, 2013. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.

Where can I watch VSS Enterprise PF02?

No webcast is on record for this launch.

What rocket launched VSS Enterprise PF02?

SpaceShipTwo, flown by Virgin Galactic. SpaceShipTwo spec sheet

Where did VSS Enterprise PF02 launch from?

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

What orbit was VSS Enterprise PF02 going to?

Suborbital (Sub), a test flight mission.