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Ship for space tourists passed its first flight test.. / March 23, 2010 /

The company Virgin Galactic, on Monday, March 22, conducted the first flight test SpaceshipTwo — ship for space tourists, reports AFP.

The test, during which SpaceShipTwo was raised in the air carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo, held at the test site in the Mojave Desert, California. In a statement distributed by Virgin Galactic, said that the first flight, which lasted only a few minutes, was successful.

The first private rocket SpaceShipTwo, which is funding the development of a British businessman Richard Branson, is designed to carry out sub-orbital (a height of about a hundred kilometers above the Earth) space flights. It is planned that up to a height of about 16 kilometers SpaceShipTwo will raise the carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo, rocket and then undock and go in solo flight, lasting about two hours.

Ship SpaceShipTwo was first shown in New York in January 2008. In December of that year held its first flight test aircraft carrier WhiteKnightTwo.

Virgin Galactic is planning to hold the first suborbital flight of SpaceShipTwo in late 2010 — early 2011. Total company expects to build five raketoplanov and aircraft-carriers.

SpaceShipTwo will be able to take on board at the same time, six tourists, each trip would cost 200 thousand dollars. As of March 2010, places on raketoplane booked more than 330 people, some of whom are Russians.

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