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Because of an ignition sequence failure, the SpaceShip 2 Unity rocket motor failed to fire during a test flight Saturday, Dec. 12. The mission to space was aborted.
According to a release from Virgin Galactic Holdings, following this event, the pilots glided to a safe landing at Spaceport America as planned. The company is conducting post-flight analysis and can so far report the onboard computer -- which monitors the propulsion system -- lost connection, triggering a fail-safe scenario that intentionally halted ignition of the rocket motor.
The system is designed such that it defaults to a safe state whenever power or communication with sensors is lost.
“Our flight landed beautifully,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said. “The flight did not reach space as we had been planning. After being released from its mothership, the spaceship’s onboard computer that monitors the rocket motor lost connection. Seeing first-hand how our pilots brought Unity in for a picture-perfect landing after an off-nominal condition confirmed this approach, I am even more confident this is the level of safety consumers will want and will be expecting from us.”
Colglazier said the company remains focused on the test-flight program and will repeat the test as soon as is feasible. The aborted flight included two pilots and NASA payloads. The next test flight will include mission specialists in the cabin. Tthe third test flight, scheduled for the first quarter of 2021, will include the company’s founder, Sir Richard Branson.
“We look forward to sharing information on our next flight window in the near future,” Colglazier said.
Visit www.virgingalactic.com.
