When it comes to Space and private companies, the first thought certainly goes to SpaceX. But this is not the only one who looks to the sky for the possibility of earning. There is also Virgin Galactic which however has a different strategy from that of Elon Musk as regards technologies

VMS Eve took off for the second time

One of the latest news concerns VMS Eve , the great plane that Virgin Galactic will use SpaceShipTwo for the launch of the spacecraft. This involves adopting a different solution than that of a rocket as a launcher. Given its particular structure, the tests of VMS Eve are followed with particular interest also given its wingspan of 43 meters.

VMS Eve takes to the skies for its second flight of the day as we continue preparations for our first spaceflight from New Mexico which is due to take place this Fall. Pilots for this flight are Kelly Latimer and Mark Stucky. They are joined by Flight Test Engineer, Colin Bennett pic.twitter.com/1A0054 jUqd

– Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) November 3, 2020

Dave Mackay (chief pilot) stated “VMS Eve has the ability to test pilot competence by simulating the planing and approach phase for SpaceShipTwo pilots. The cockpit structure of Eve is almost identical to that of Unity: same pilot seats and windows, as well as controls and instruments This, coupled with the fact that with Eve’s landing gear down and a set of aerodynamic brakes, descends at the same angle of trajectory as the SpaceShipTwo, means that the crew can practice with the same approach and pattern of landing when they fly to Unity – with most of the same information and the same view outside d at the window. This makes Eve a very valuable flight simulator for the final approach and landing phases of the spacecraft “.

SpaceShipTwo flight tests continue

The company has released a video showing the plane taking off from Spaceport America, the spaceport of New Mexico (in the United States United States). Mike Moses (President of Space Missions and Security) said testing is continuing as planned, thanks to pilot CJ Sturckow. In particular, the focus is on meeting all safety objectives in order to finally be able to welcome tourists who want to travel with Virgin Galactic .

Moses added “CJ will be alongside our chief pilot, Dave Mackay, in the cockpit Today, as we are testing a number of key points to take us to the next stage of our flight test program. While we are planning for CJ and Dave to reach Space, if the test conditions of the day suggest a shorter flight, it will be fine anyway and we will be back to flying soon. The space flight system is designed for a quick commercial turnaround, so it’s much better to stay on the side of caution and go back to base to understand the data and prepare for another test flight “.

In the tests of SpaceShipTwo this time there will also be three payloads provided by NASA . This will change the flight path of the spacecraft which will not stop in the inverted pitch position to show the Earth as the aircraft is tilted by 270 °. Choosing to host payloads will serve to generate revenue for Virgin Galactic as well as helping scientific research.