SpaceShipTwo first time soared Bashny.Net

Company Virgin Galactic on Monday, March 22 conducted the first flight test of SpaceshipTwo - ship for space tourists, reports AFP.

The test, during which SpaceShipTwo was raised in the air carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo, held at the site in the Mojave Desert, California. In a statement released by Virgin Galactic, said that the first flight, which lasted only a few minutes, was successful.
11 ph via Etoday / AFP

First private rocket plane SpaceShipTwo, which is funding the development of a British businessman Richard Branson, is designed to carry out sub-orbital (height of about one hundred kilometers above the Earth) of space flight. It is planned that up to a height of about 16 kilometers SpaceShipTwo lift carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo, rocket plane and then undock and go to an independent flight, lasting about two hours.

Ship SpaceShipTwo was first shown in New York in January 2008. In December of the same year it held its first flight tests of the aircraft carrier WhiteKnightTwo.

Virgin Galactic plans to hold the first SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight in late 2010 - early 2011. In total the company plans to build a five-rocket planes and aircraft carriers.

SpaceShipTwo will be able to take on board at the same time six tourists, each of which travel cost 200 thousand dollars. As of March 2010, the space on the rocket planes have booked more than 330 people, some of whom are Russians.