Virgin Galactic Unity Soared To Suborbital Space With Commercial Passengers
Video shows when Virgin Galactic successfully conducted its second commercial spaceflight. VSS Unity soared to suborbital space and back with 3 passengers and the instructor that trained them, along with 2 pilots.
Passengers: Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers
Crew: Commander C.J. Sturckow, pilot Kelly Latimer and Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses
Credit: Virgin Galactic
Passengers: Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers
Crew: Commander C.J. Sturckow, pilot Kelly Latimer and Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses
Credit: Virgin Galactic
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TechTranscript
00:00 The very last preparation that the pilots in spaceship do before release is they push
00:06 that control stick all the way forward, ensuring that we have a perfect separation.
00:11 We're 15 seconds.
00:17 Ten.
00:22 Five.
00:26 Three two one.
00:28 Release release release.
00:31 Ignition.
00:33 Good control.
00:40 There's Mach one.
00:41 The pilots have started trimming for that turn towards space.
00:48 Trim is now set.
00:49 There is max Q. That's the point of maximum pressure exerted on the vehicle by the atmosphere.
00:56 Those on board are experiencing about three G's right now.
01:02 And traveling over a thousand miles an hour.
01:04 That's incredible.
01:05 I can imagine they're having quite a great time.
01:09 We're at Mach two.
01:11 We're in the vertical headed towards space.
01:17 This is the part where they're seeing Earth move away and seeing space come into view
01:21 and seeing that they're going to space and just it is an incredible feeling.
01:29 We've got about Mach two point eight Mach three approximately and rocket motor cut off.
01:35 Amazing.
01:36 The crowds here are just absolutely going wild.
01:40 I can't imagine what's happening in Antigua with them cheering them on.
01:46 Incredible.
01:47 Go Keisha.
01:48 Go Anna.
01:49 Go John.
01:50 So everybody on board has been cleared to unstrap and enjoy that zero G experience.
01:55 The pilots have unlocked the feather.
01:57 That's the preparation so that they can raise the feather here momentarily.
02:01 They're engaging the RCS as well.
02:04 The feather is now starting to move on its way up.
02:08 Everyone's up out of their seats.
02:09 Just incredible.
02:10 They're all I know.
02:12 It's amazing.
02:13 They're all going to the window and taking in this just absolutely incredible view of
02:18 Earth.
02:19 It's a planet where all of their experiences are held.
02:22 Everything they've ever known is down below.
02:25 The feather is all the way up.
02:27 We have a predicted apogee of about two hundred and eighty nine thousand feet.
02:31 That is amazing.
02:33 Our crew looks like they're having an absolutely incredible time and they are officially astronauts.
02:38 Welcome to space.
02:39 Congratulations to John, to Keisha, to Anna on becoming astronauts today and a special
02:45 congratulations to our unity pilot Kelly for her first space flight.
02:49 And welcome back to space.
02:50 C.J. and Beth.
02:53 And the vehicle is oriented in that that backflip or that upside down maneuver from our perspective.
02:59 And you can see them just enjoying that view of the Earth below.
03:03 Man, it's incredible.
03:05 I can see that they just can't take their eyes away.
03:08 And it's you know, it's hard for us to describe.
03:10 We can obviously see they're having just an incredible time in space taking in the views.
03:15 But it's an experience.
03:17 It's the silence.
03:19 It's the views.
03:20 It's our brilliant planet against the matte black of space.
03:24 I can't imagine.
03:25 I can't imagine.
03:26 I mean, I could I can't imagine what they're going through right now.
03:29 And I can't wait to hear about it.
03:30 Yeah.
03:31 Well, we just achieved our apogee at two hundred and ninety thousand feet.
03:36 That's eighty eight and a half kilometers.
03:38 Amazing.
03:39 And Apogee is actually a very unique part of our experience.
03:43 When our vehicle begins that descent back down to Earth and everything stands still,
03:50 it's just and you take a moment in the cabin, silent and looking out as a crew.
03:55 And it's it's it's an experience I can only describe with these words, but one to be felt
04:00 really.
04:01 Yes.
04:02 So the pilots have initiated the motion to return the vehicle around, complete that backflip
04:07 all the way around and orient us for the reentry.
04:14 They've just made the return to seat call.
04:16 They do that before we get to about point one.
04:19 The pilots tell those the passengers when to return to their seats.
04:22 And then it's something that our training team has made very natural and intuitive,
04:28 even though they're in that reduced G environment.
04:31 Yeah, absolutely.
04:32 During the days up leading to training, it's something that all of our crew practice at
04:38 our cabin is very purposefully designed.
04:41 Yes.
04:42 To allow for our crew to get back into their seats and even on reentry.
04:47 The the amount of G's that you feel.
04:50 But is I mean, it's designed that anyone can do it as we've seen today.
04:55 And the views are going to be amazing on the way down to.
04:58 So when we talk about space travel, right, with the boost, everybody recognizes that
05:03 as as exciting and thrilling.
05:05 But the reentry is actually quite thrilling as well.
05:07 And we have shockwaves that form over the top of the of the vehicle.
05:13 Right now, they're experiencing the max G on reentry of about three point five.
05:18 We're supersonic.
05:19 So if you're outside here at the Spaceport America, you should hear a double sonic boom
05:24 as space spaceship once again breaks the sound barrier on reentry.
05:28 We're now we just passed subsonic.
05:31 Amazing.
05:32 And the crowds again are just cheering on our entire crew.
05:36 They're going to be able to see the vehicle as it comes down to land.
05:41 And our crew here are also going to be just again, they're going to be able to see Spaceport
05:47 America.
05:48 They're going to be able to see their, you know, see just see that their family and their
05:51 friends are there cheering them on as they come back and return to Spaceport America.
05:55 So we've passed below 60,000 feet.
05:58 Once we get to about 53 to 55,000 feet, we'll command the feather down.
06:03 That'll result in the nose of the spaceship dropping.
06:07 And then once the feather is down and locked, which it's now moving, the crew will pull
06:12 back on the stick and make a gentle return to level flight.
06:17 I remember during the reentry, I just could not again, I just could not stop looking out
06:21 the window.
06:23 The the landscape of New Mexico is just very indicative of this planet.
06:28 It's beautiful.
06:29 And it's that it's really just amplifies going to space, looking down on just the beautiful
06:35 planet you've just left.
06:37 And the feather is now down and locked.
06:40 So the pilots are starting that gentle pull back to straight and level flight.
06:44 It's spaceship is now a glider.
06:46 So it's all about balancing that potential and kinetic energy.
06:50 If they want to go faster, they push the nose down.
06:54 And if they want to go slower, they pull back and bring the nose up.
06:57 It's absolutely incredible.
06:59 G2 is a flight for the history books.
07:02 The crew on board are on the leading edge of broadening space access and are taking
07:06 the first steps in hopes that others may find it easier to follow their lead.
07:10 Now Keisha and Anna have become astronauts today thanks to Space for Humanity, whose
07:14 mission is to expand access to space for everyone and to talk more about their mission and their
07:20 purpose.
07:21 We actually have a special guest in the studio, Space for Humanity's executive director, Rachel
07:25 Lyons.
07:26 Rachel, welcome to the studio.
07:28 Thank you so much for having me, Serisha.
07:30 It's such an honor to be here.
07:31 Oh, my God.
07:32 You must just be absolutely pumped.
07:34 So before we talk about Keisha and Anna, I know we all want to.
07:37 I wanted to ask, could you tell us about Space for Humanity's mission?
07:41 Absolutely.
07:42 Yeah.
07:43 And I am so excited.
07:44 It's such a dream come true to see this happening, to see Keisha and Anna and John going to space.
07:50 I'm like pinching myself here watching this whole thing come to fruition.
07:54 And so Space for Humanity, we're a nonprofit organization founded by Dylan Taylor, who's
07:59 a space investor and founder and CEO.
08:02 And our mission, as you have been mentioning, is to sponsor people from all over the world
08:07 to go to space.
08:09 And also, as you guys have both been mentioning, when people go to space and they look back
08:14 down at our planet as this interconnected, fragile, beautiful, finite planet, it changes
08:21 a person's perspective forever.
08:22 Yeah.
08:23 Absolutely.
08:24 As you spoke about so beautifully.
08:25 Yeah.
08:26 And so we're really passionate about giving that perspective to as many people as possible
08:31 by sending people who can be representatives for different areas and nations and places
08:36 that haven't necessarily had exposure to this.
08:40 And then so they can come back down and be that for the people from their country, the
08:46 people in their communities.
08:47 Yeah.
08:48 I mean, could you talk a little bit more about that?
08:49 What impact do you see your citizen astronauts having, or what impact do you hope that they'll
08:54 have upon return to Earth?
08:56 Yeah.
08:57 So we've sent two people to space so far.
08:59 Of course, we're so grateful for this partnership with Virgin Galactic to send Keisha to space.
09:03 And then more soon that no announcements yet though.
09:08 And so in terms of the impact that we hope that they have, I would say that it's different
09:13 depending on the person.
09:14 And we can't predict what that is.
09:17 But what we're looking for is people who are committed to making a difference in their
09:21 communities, people who have a track record of success, people who have a track record
09:25 of doing things that make a difference in the world, people who are natural leaders.
09:30 And so the hope is that each of them come back down and make a difference in a way that's
09:34 true for them.
09:35 And like I said, we can't predict that.
09:37 It's not prescriptive.
09:39 And depending on the cares and the passions of the individual, it'll look different.
09:43 Absolutely.
09:44 And so that's the cool thing about Keisha and Anna going to space and just watching
09:48 the people that are impacted and their unique message that Virgin Galactic has done such
09:54 a beautiful job of capturing.
09:56 It's just amazing to watch.
09:57 Yeah.
09:58 And so speaking of Keisha and Anna, I mean, you've seen their journey from when they were
10:02 selected.
10:03 You were there.
10:04 So maybe you can talk about being there, Keisha's reaction to her journey, training for spaceflight,
10:11 being here on site, and then you saw her go to space.
10:13 What impact have you already seen that journey make?
10:16 Yeah.
10:17 So yeah, we were there just about two years ago, a little bit less than two years ago
10:20 now.
10:21 Myself, Richard Branson, some other Virgin Galactic team members, and other people that
10:26 were part of the campaign.
10:27 And so I had the honor of going to Keisha's house, and we knocked on her back door and
10:33 we surprised her.
10:35 And Richard Branson's face just greeting her when she opened the door.
10:38 That's where we saw the screen.
10:39 Yeah, exactly.
10:40 And she was on prison.
10:41 Exactly, exactly.
10:42 And so that was a dream come true, because that was the first time we had ever given
10:48 someone a ticket to space.
10:51 And so to watch this now two years later, and also to watch the impact that she's having
10:56 on Antigua, I mean, I've never been, I've been to a handful of space launches at this
11:00 point, and I don't think I've ever even met someone from the Caribbean at one of these
11:05 space launches.
11:06 And so now there's reporters, there's people from Keisha's community, there's people who
11:10 are telling me what their flag means and what it means for them as a nation to have Keisha
11:15 be going to space, Keisha and Anna.
11:18 It's just, it's incredible to watch, and she is an inspiration.
11:21 They are both inspirations for so many different demographics, so many different groups of
11:26 people, and they're, as I've mentioned before, their messages are profound already, and they
11:32 haven't even seen the Earth from space yet.
11:34 Yeah, I mean, they represent such an incredible community.
11:37 Of course, Antigua, Barbuda, Caribbean, mothers, daughters, college, university students, women,
11:46 the boundaries they're breaking is just absolutely mind-blowing, and they're just the first.
11:50 There's gonna be many more.
11:52 So I know you're eager to get back and cheer them on as they come in to land, but anything
11:56 you wanna say just to close out, and just tell us about your excitement for Keisha and
12:01 Anna landing and being there to cheer them on?
12:03 Yeah, no, I mean, I guess all I'll say is I've had the pleasure of spending some time
12:08 with Keisha.
12:09 After we surprised her, she and her husband gave me a tour of the island for a day afterwards,
12:14 and for her, this is the biggest dream of her life, and she gets to bring her daughter
12:21 on that, too.
12:22 And so I think that's what I will leave everyone with, is just imagining what it would be like
12:29 for someone who's dreamed of this forever to get to go and have this experience and
12:32 be cheered on by her entire community.
12:34 It's absolutely incredible.
12:36 I know you're gonna be right there when they get back to give them the biggest hug.
12:40 Yeah, definitely, can't wait.
12:43 Amazing.
12:44 Well, speaking of cheer, let's check back in in Antigua with Chewy.
12:49 [inaudible]
13:15 Keisha, I'm here with the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and we just witnessed
13:19 something absolutely amazing.
13:21 Prime Minister, what does this mean for Antigua and Barbuda?
13:24 Well, it's the most significant event for the people of Antigua and Barbuda and the
13:28 Caribbean.
13:29 This is certainly a major achievement, and an achievement that will help to inspire great
13:35 ambitions of the Antigua and Barbuda people.
13:37 We're very proud of the courage and certainly the resilience of Keisha and her daughter,
13:45 and we are just very happy, as you can see.
13:48 Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
13:51 We're good, 20 seconds goes fast.
13:54 All right, we got it.
13:57 Oh, amazing, amazing, amazing.
14:00 The energy in Antigua is just incredible.
14:03 I can feel the energy here at Spaceport is absolutely amazing as we welcome our crew
14:08 back as they come in for landing.
14:10 Now let's take it over.
14:11 JR, can you give us an update on their progress back to Earth?
14:14 Yeah, I sure can.
14:15 We're at this point just under 12,000 feet.
14:19 Kelly was at the controls there for most of the glide.
14:23 CJ has just resumed control of flying the spaceship.
14:28 So the approach checks are in work.
14:34 They've planned to manage their energy management as you do with a glider.
14:40 And now hitting those waypoints as they come in to runway 34 here at Spaceport America.
14:47 So that's south to north on the runway.
14:51 For those non-pilots tuning in, those numbers represent the first two numbers on the magnetic
14:56 heading of your compass.
14:58 So 34 is 340 degrees.
15:02 So we're doing a turn to final right now, and that's a left turn so that CJ, the pilot,
15:09 the commander in the ship, has a view of the runway.
15:12 The landing gear is now down and locked.
15:18 And we're about 8,700 feet.
15:20 Amazing.
15:21 Again, I've said this before many times, but the crew have this incredible view not only
15:28 of the New Mexican landscape, but of our spaceport facility, which is this incredible facility
15:33 where they spent the last few days bonding with their crew and training with their crew.
15:38 So of course, it holds a special part in their hearts, and they get to see that view on their
15:43 way down.
15:44 So we're 1,000 feet above the runway.
15:46 The runway here is about 4,500 feet or 500 feet.
15:51 Pre-flare, that's pulling the nose up and taking advantage of the ground effect.
15:57 It's extra lift you get when you're close to the ground.
15:59 We've crossed the threshold.
16:01 That's the beginning of the runway.
16:06 Beautiful.
16:10 And touchdown of the main gear.
16:11 Now CJ's going to hold the nose gear up for a little bit.
16:15 That helps bleed off the energy that the spaceship has using the air drag associated with that.
16:25 And I started to lower the nose.
16:34 And the nose gear is now down.
16:38 So at a designated airspeed, the pilots have the option to apply the brakes or not.
16:44 They can let the vehicle roll to a stop.
16:48 We have plenty enough runway here.
16:50 They are applying the brakes today.
16:52 We have 12,000 feet of runway here at Space Port America.
16:58 And 200 feet wide, so plenty of room.