Virgin Galactic VSS Unity Survives Second Supersonic Flight

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos aren't the only head honchos with their heads in the skies, so to speak. Virgin Group's somehwat eccentric Richard Branson is also eyeing the space travel trade. Today, his Virgin Galactic company took one step closer to that dream after the VSS Unity flew its second, rocket-powered supersonic flight. And, of course, the "spaceplane" and its pilots landed on a runway safely and in one piece, paving the way for supersonic travel in the near future.

Virgin Galactic's test flights, though less hyped, are also more dangerous compared to SpaceX's or Blue Origin's. That's because of the need for human pilots to control the rocket, which could end in tragedy as what happened with the VSS Enterprise in 2014. Fortunately, this year seems to have been good for the company.

Less than two months ago, VSS Unity, the Enterprise' successor, made its first powered flight, which was immediately a success. This second flight test more than just the reusability of the rocket but also changes that make it more passenger friendly. To be specific, passenger seats were added that shifted the weight of the vehicle towards the back and potentially altering its success.

Fate once again smiled at Virgin Galactic as VSS Unity launched from its EMV carrier WhiteKnightTwo. And not only did it survive the flight, it even broke its own record. Unity reached speeds of Mach 1.9, nearly twice the speed of sound, and reached an altitude of 114,500 feet. Last month's test saw it travel at Mach 1.87 and only 84,71 ft.

Unlike SpaceX's and Blue Origin's more tested reusable rockets, Virgin Galactic's spaceplanes are designed primarily for passenger use instead of carrying space cargo. The final version will burn its rockets for a full 60 seconds, carrying passengers over long distances in record time and landing on runways just like your regular planes.