Engineering:VSS Imagine
| Manufacturer | The Spaceship Company |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Operator | Virgin Galactic |
| Applications | Suborbital spaceflight |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Spaceplane |
| Production | |
| Status | In development |
VSS Imagine (Virgin Space Ship Imagine), is a SpaceShip III class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It is the first SpaceShip III to be built and will be used as part of the Virgin Galactic fleet. The spacecraft was rolled out 30 March 2021 and was planned to undergo ground and glide testing during summer 2021. As of January 2024, it has not yet flown.[1]
Overview
VSS Imagine, the first SpaceShip III suborbital spaceplane for Virgin Galactic was announced on 25 February 2021 and was rolled out 30 March 2021. It is one of two SpaceShip III class spacecraft on order by Virgin Galactic, the second being VSS Inspire.[2]
The company emphasized: "Left in limbo, though, is VSS Imagine, the company’s next suborbital spaceplane."[citation needed]
In November 2021 and again in November 2023, Virgin Galactic stated that it was slowing work on the vehicle to focus on getting VMS Eve and VSS Unity back to flight while starting development of its next-generation vehicles.[3][4]
References
- ↑ "Virgin Galactic Unveils VSS Imagine, The First SpaceShip III In Its Growing Fleet". 30 March 2021. https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-unveils-vss-imagine-the-first-spaceship-iii-in-its-growing-fleet/.
- ↑ Roulette, Joey (30 March 2021). "Virgin Galactic unveils new SpaceShip III". https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356889/virgin-galactic-unveils-new-spaceship-iii-three-3.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (1 March 2023). "Virgin Galactic in final phases of return to flight". https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-in-final-phases-of-return-to-flight/.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (2022-11-04). "Virgin Galactic delays introduction of second suborbital spaceship" (in en-US). https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-delays-introduction-of-second-suborbital-spaceship/.
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