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Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Broke the Sound Barrier During Its First Rocket Test

The company claims it's now on track to complete its first full space flight by the end of the year.
Image: Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic just got one sound barrier-breaking hybrid engine blast closer to ushering in the era of space tourism. Yesterday, Galactic's SpaceShipTwo (SS2) was dropped out of an aircraft carrier over California's Mohave Desert, and test pilots Mark Stucky and Mike Alsbury ignited the vessel's rocket engine in flight for the first time.

The SS2 was hoisted to an elevation of 50,000 feet by an aircraft called the WhiteKnightTwo, then released. After the aircraft was clear, the SS2 lit its engine for just 15 seconds, burning a combination of a solid rubber compound and liquid nitrous oxide.

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The occasion was marked, of course, with a tweet:

For the 1st time ever, SS2 has lit her rocket engine in flight! A major milestone in human spaceflight. Photos, video, and details to follow

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) April 29, 2013

The test checked out, and after they killed the motor, Stucky and Alsbury guided the SS2 back for a smooth landing at the Mojave airstrip. Today, Virgin Galactic's Twitter feed followed up with another dispatch:

Pilots Stucky and Alsbury confirm: SpaceShipTwo exceeded the speed of sound on today’s flight! Photos, video, and details to follow

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) April 29, 2013

SpaceShipTwo broke the sound barrier. Again. Galactic's SpaceShipOne accomplished the same feat back in 2004, when it became the first private vessel to enter space. Since then, Galactic has run some 20 successful test flights, inching closer to its goal of ferrying wealthy space tourists out of the Earth's atmosphere.

Meanwhile, its competition is getting stiffer—Space X just successfully delivered cargo to the International Space Station, and is getting closer to commercial flights too. Beyond orbit, things are more dubious for private space ventures—Golden Spike, the moon vacation venture, is failing to capture public interest, and there are still more questions than answers surrounding the whole Mars One debacle.

But Virgin Galactic is still going full throttle. The company says it will complete its first full space flight by the end of the year.