VSS Enterprise Makes First Crewed Flight

[PainSurgeon]

One question that keeps bugging me: will a short low earth orbit commercial flight exist, & become "affordable" (let's say 25000 dollars), within the next 20 years or so?

[joseenver]

1:00

Johnny Knoxville

The Pilot

[321flare]

Congrats! This is so exciting. Inspiring stuff!!!

[Simpson654]

The system has not achieved suborbital flight yet, and is way behind schedule laid out back in 2005 when Virgin Galactic contracted Scaled Composites to build them a viable adventure spaceship. There's been setbacks and tragedy along the way, and this system being able to be extended to orbital flights is way optimistic. WhiteKnightThree would have to be able to carry a huge amount of weight in SpaceShipThree's fuel up to 30000 feet atleast. Still, let's hope they'll complete a demo flight soon!

[XxDaGGa]

simply amazing i hope one day we can venture off in to deep space

[depaulsto]

Would have given anything to be their during live takeoff!!

[crystalidx]

Amazing achievements, but there's no need to use aerospace flight or rocket technology when there is anti-gravity propulsion.

[TehNetherlands]

@crystalidx Why mention science fiction?

[DazzaJayFatz]

Finally, a craft by the name of "Enterprise" will go into space.

Great work Branson, the Enterprise is an amazing craft. I can't wait to see a vid of it in space.

[Simpson654]

@DazzaJayFatz

They're going ahead with it, albeit slowly, as they're hampered by their design, I think. A reliable booster rocket launch would have probably been more easier to achieve, but of course the cost is more prohibitive. They're trying to create a realitvely cheap suborbital adventure ride with untested technology. With the cost in mind, reliability and safety is number one priority. They'll have to demonstrate it's safe before VSS Enterprise ever carries passengers.

[tomcat466]

lovin the name

enterprise wonder where the idea to name a spaceship that came from

[mjkobb]

Wow. SS2 is big inside. Very cool!

[lexusmaxus]

totally awesome but I can't pay for the flight ticket just yet ..

[ItsZackk]

@lexusmaxus Thats why we need rich people to buy tickets, so the price goes down. The guys like you and me can go to space :)

[patswickedpissah]

Congrats & continued progress in commercial space

[GodlessPeaceTM]

I hope you plan on doing a test flight with a finished interior ? I was just wondering how much of a weight difference there will be when the interior is completely finished as shown on your web site? Not that it concerns me but i would of like to have seen the finished interior for it looked beautiful on the sketches!

[ytmoog]

@GodlessPeaceTM

I would imagine this is the first in a line of many test flights.

Certainly the carrier has had test flights before...

[flamencoprof]

6 comments for this massive achievement?

This is the stuff of Sci-Fi actually being done, not by a Government but by individuals.

It should be in the headlines all over the world.

I really want to see these people succeed, and I hope it makes them rich as well.

[blahk04]

@flamencoprof massive achievement for the company, but not really a big deal for the world. They just flew, not very high or fast, any airplane can do what they just did. It will be headline news once they do something Boeing hasn't been doing for decades.

[shamandgg]

Destiny of humankind is to explore, way beyond the cradle of Earth. We are the Universe, we are exploring ourselves on a road that never ends, we are on a journey that never stops. Universe of unlimited possibilities. Everything we need is to wish together to catch one! Godspeed VSS Enterprise! Great job, guys!

[zachariah2006]

cool aircraft!!!!!!! makes you wanna go for a spin!!!!

[oz9aec]

I will wash and polish your spaceship every day for a whole year if you let me sit in the cockpit. I promise not to press any buttons.

[chrisradcliff]

So freaking beautiful. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[frag971]

Im gonna fly on that thing one day! ... as soon as i get the money xD

[Amac58605860]

Beautiful machine. Keep up the great work!