Virgin Galactic just flew to 82.68 kilometers—is this space?

Enlarge / The VSS Unity spacecraft returns to Earth on Thursday. (credit: Virgin Galactic)

On a clear and cold Thursday morning in the Mojave Desert, Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two aircraft took off. It carried the VSS Unity spacecraft, which on its fourth powered flight, sought to make the company's highest and fastest flight ever. It succeeded.

With Mark "Forger" Stucky and C.J Sturckow piloting the vehicle, VSS Unity was dropped from White Knight Two before burning its rocket motor for 60 seconds, reaching a velocity of Mach 2.9 and soaring to an altitude of 82.68km. These were records for the company, which may begin flying space tourists in 2019.

How big of a deal is suborbital flight?

On one hand, it's difficult to get any rocket to fly high and true. Consider that Virgin Galactic was founded in 2004. It had a basic architecture at that time-an air-launched, rocket-powered spaceship based upon a proven design-and ample funding from a British billionaire. It still took 14 years for the company to make its first spaceflight.

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