Virgin Galactic Completes 11th Successful Spaceflight
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This news is classified in: Aerospace Space

Jan 29, 2024

Virgin Galactic Completes 11th Successful Spaceflight

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (“Virgin Galactic” or the “Company”) today announced the completion of its first spaceflight of 2024 and 11th mission to date. Today’s ‘Galactic 06’ flight marked the first time all four seats aboard VSS Unity were occupied by private astronauts.

Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said: “Today the incredible team at Virgin Galactic supported another successful mission and delivered an unforgettable experience for four new astronauts. The success of ‘Galactic 06’ and the Company’s other commercial spaceflights in recent months only increases our confidence in the repeatability of our product and our ability to deliver a superlative experience to our customers. With the production of our next-generation Delta-class ships underway, we look forward to expanding our flight capacity with testing expected to start next year and commercial service in 2026.”

Onboard ‘Galactic 06’:

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by Component (Antenna, Bracket, Shield, Housing and Propulsion), Satellite Mass (Nano and microsatellite, small satellite, medium and large satellite), Application and Region

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  • Astronaut 023 – Lina Borozdina, Ukraine and Nevada, U.S.
  • Astronaut 024 – Robie Vaughn, Texas, U.S.
  • Astronaut 025 – Franz Haider, Austria
  • Astronaut 026 – Neil Kornswiet, California, U.S.

Today’s launch was watched from the ground at Spaceport America by more than 150 guests alongside Virgin Galactic’s team.

VSS Unity was commanded by C.J. Sturckow with pilot Nicola Pecile. Michael Masucci commanded mothership VMS Eve joined by pilot Dan Alix.

‘Galactic 06’ Flight Facts

  • Take-off Time 10:00 am MT
  • Altitude at Release 44,493 ft
  • Apogee 55.1 miles
  • Top Speed Mach 2.98
  • Landing Time 10:56 am MTVirgin Galactic Completes 11th Successful Spaceflight