View source for Engineering:Virgin Galactic Unity 21

{{Short description|2021 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight}}
{{italic title|string=Unity}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name              = Virgin Galactic Unity 21
| image             = Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo "Unity" rollout 19Feb2016, FAITH hangar, Mojave, California.jpg
| image_caption     = VSS ''Unity'' in February 2016

| mission_type      = Crewed suborbital spaceflight
| operator          = [[Company:Virgin Galactic|Virgin Galactic]]
| mission_duration  = 
| suborbital_apogee = {{Convert|89.23|km|abbr=off}}

| spacecraft        = [[Astronomy:VSS Unity|VSS ''Unity'']]
| spacecraft_type   = [[Engineering:SpaceShipTwo|SpaceShipTwo]]
| manufacturer      = [[Company:The Spaceship Company|The Spaceship Company]]

| crew_members      = {{Unbulleted list|David Mackay|Frederick Sturckow}}

| launch_date       = 22 May 2021, 15:26 UTC
| launch_site       = [[Engineering:Spaceport America|Spaceport America Runway 34]]
| deployment_from   = [[Astronomy:VMS Eve|VMS ''Eve'']]

| landing_date      = 22 May 2021
| landing_site      = Spaceport America Runway 16

| programme         = '''[[Astronomy:VSS Unity#History|VSS ''Unity'' spaceflights]]'''
| previous_mission  = [[Engineering:VSS Unity VF-01|VF-01]]
| next_mission      = [[Engineering:Virgin Galactic Unity 22|Unity 22]]
}}

'''Virgin Galactic Unity 21'''<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 May 2021|title=Virgin Galactic on Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/1396166206604914689|quote=Unity21 made a beautiful ascent to apogee over Spaceport America, New Mexico.}}</ref> was a [[Engineering:Sub-orbital spaceflight|sub-orbital spaceflight]] of the [[Engineering:SpaceShipTwo|SpaceShipTwo]]-class [[Astronomy:VSS Unity|VSS ''Unity'']] which took place on 22 May 2021, piloted by David Mackay and co-piloted by Frederick Sturckow. It was the first human spaceflight from the state of New Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 May 2021|title=Virgin Galactic Completes First Human Spaceflight from Spaceports America, New Mexico.|url=https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-completes-first-human-spaceflight-from-spaceport-america-new-mexico/|url-status=dead|access-date=22 May 2021|archive-date=22 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522170447/https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-completes-first-human-spaceflight-from-spaceport-america-new-mexico/}}</ref> It was operated by [[Company:Virgin Galactic|Virgin Galactic]], a private company led by [[Biography:Richard Branson|Richard Branson]] which intends to conduct [[Astronomy:Space tourism|space tourism]] flights in the future. Unity 21 was the first human spaceflight to be launched from [[Engineering:Spaceport America|Spaceport America]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 May 2021|title=Virgin Galactic launches third successful spaceflight|website=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/22/tech/virgin-galactic-spaceflight/index.html|access-date=22 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=22 May 2021|title=Virgin Galactic on twitter|url=https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/1396276052452773893|access-date=22 May 2021|quote=Space is too good not to share. Our proof is in the incredible views of Earth aboard #Unity21.}}</ref>

Reaching an apogee of {{convert|55.45|mi|km|2|abbr=on}}, the flight satisfied the United States definition of spaceflight ({{convert|50|mi|km|2|abbr=on}}), but fell short of the [[Earth:Kármán line|Kármán line]] ({{convert|100|km|mi|2|abbr=on}}), the [[Organization:Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] definition.

== Crew ==
{{Spaceflight crew|terminology=Astronaut|position1=Pilot|crew1_up={{flagicon|UK}} David Mackay|flights1_up=Second|position2=Co-pilot|crew2_up={{flagicon|US}} Frederick Sturckow|flights2_up=Sixth}}

Flights are currently only by U.S Convention.

== Flight ==

On 22 May 2021, ''Unity's'' [[Engineering:Mother ship|mother ship]] [[Astronomy:VMS Eve|VMS ''Eve'']] carried it into flight in a [[Engineering:Parasite aircraft|parasite configuration]]. At 15:26 UTC,<ref>{{Cite web|last=McDowell|first=Jonathan|date=22 May 2021|title=Jonathan McDowell on Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1396159906818953229|access-date=22 May 2021}}</ref> ''Unity'' was drop launched. Pilots MacKay and Sturckow flew ''Unity'' at a maximum speed of [[Physics:Mach number|Mach]] 3 to a maximum altitude of over {{convert|89.23|km|ft|abbr=on}}. This altitude surpassed the 50-mile limit used in the United States to denote the limit of space, but fell short of the [[Earth:Kármán line|Kármán line]]. Both craft landed safely afterwards.

== References ==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Test spaceflights]]

{{Sourceattribution|Virgin Galactic Unity 21}}