Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo’s first powered flight

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo has made its first powered flight in a test which moves Richard Branson closer to his goal of flying tourists into space later this year.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo turns on the rockets. Picture: AP

While the craft did not break out of the atmosphere during the test flight, it marked a significant milestone for the company, which wants to take passengers on suborbital journeys.

During the early morning flight, SpaceShipTwo, strapped beneath a twin-fuselage jet, took off from an airport runway in the Mojave Desert near Los Angeles.

The jet released SpaceShipTwo, which ignited its engine for 16 seconds, before gliding to a safe landing.

SpaceShipTwo. Picture: Reuters

Explosion

Until now, SpaceShipTwo has only performed unpowered glide flights. Several powered flights are planned this summer, culminating with a dash into space which is hoped will happen towards the end of the year.

SpaceShipTwo is the commercial version of SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 became the first private manned rocket to reach space.

Since the historic flight, more than 500 aspiring space tourists have paid £130,000 or placed deposits, waiting for a chance to float in weightlessness and view the Earth’s curvature from 62 miles up.

SpaceShipTwo's engines fire up. Getty Images

Sir Richard initially predicted commercial flights would begin in 2007, but a deadly explosion during ground testing and longer-than-expected test flights pushed the deadline back.

No date has been set for the first commercial flight from a custom-designed spaceport in New Mexico, but Virgin Galactic executives have said it will come after testing is complete and it secures approval from the US government.