Unity

active

Human SpaceflightLEOLaunched 12/4/1998

Admin Edit

Mission & Launch

Launch Mission: ISS 2A (Unity)
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle
Launch Date: 12/4/1998

Orbit & Mass

Orbit Class: LEO
Altitude: 393.5 km
Inclination: 51.59 deg
Dry Mass: 9,280 kg
Total Mass: 11,600 kg

Payload Classification

Mission Type

Organizations

Operator: NASA Johnson Space Center
Manufacturer: Boeing

Registry

UN Registration: ST/SG/SER.E/418

Mentions

197

All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.

Virgin Galactic planned to add a fourth paying customer to Unity flights as the company moves into 2024, increasing per-flight revenue to about $800,000.

FinancialGrowthPlanGeneralValue 4.0Aug 10, 2023

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VSS Unity glided back to Spaceport America and landed at 11:32 a.m. Eastern on 2023-08-10.

PlanGeneralValue 1.8Aug 10, 2023Virgin Galactic conducts first space tourist suborbital flight

Virgin Galactic expects to add a fourth paying customer to Unity flights in 2024, increasing per-flight revenue to about $800,000.

FinancialPlanGrowthValue 4.2Aug 2, 2023Virgin Galactic forecasts limited revenues from initial commercial flights

VSS Unity achieved a top speed of Mach 2.88 during the Galactic 01 mission.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jul 3, 2023Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes ‘Galactic 01' Inaugural Commercial Spaceflight

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane VSS Unity took off on June 29 attached to its VMS Eve mothership aircraft.

GeneralCapabilityValue 4.0Jul 3, 2023Regulating a maturing commercial spaceflight industry

VSS Unity reached a peak altitude of 85.1 kilometers before gliding back to a runway landing at Spaceport America.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jul 3, 2023Regulating a maturing commercial spaceflight industry

VSS Unity reached an apogee of 85.1 km during the Galactic 01 mission.

CapabilityPlanGeneralValue 4.0Jul 3, 2023Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes ‘Galactic 01' Inaugural Commercial Spaceflight

VSS Unity took off at 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time for the Galactic 01 mission.

PlanGeneralValue 2.0Jul 3, 2023Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes ‘Galactic 01' Inaugural Commercial Spaceflight

Virgin Galactic resumed test flights of VSS Unity in spring 2024, including a 2024-05-25 flight called Unity 25 that was the vehicle’s first suborbital spaceflight since Unity 22.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Jun 29, 2023Virgin Galactic completes first commercial SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight

VSS Unity reached a peak altitude of 85.1 km on the Galactic 01 flight.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jun 29, 2023Virgin Galactic completes first commercial SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight

Virgin Galactic delayed the Italian research flight and began maintenance early in October 2021 for both VMS Eve and VSS Unity.

PlanValue 4.0Jun 29, 2023Virgin Galactic completes first commercial SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight

Virgin Galactic plans a takeoff of its VMS Eve mothership with the VSS Unity spaceplane attached at about 10:30 a.m. Eastern on 2023-06-29.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Jun 28, 2023SpaceShipTwo to demonstrate research capabilities on first commercial flight

Virgin Galactic resumed flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle VMS Unity earlier in 2024, including a 2023-05-25 suborbital test flight that was the first Unity flight to space since Richard Branson’s 2021-07-01 flight.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Jun 26, 2023Virgin Galactic sets date and announces crew for first commercial SpaceShipTwo flight

Virgin Galactic performed the Unity 25 test flight on 2023-05-25, the first powered flight of the vehicle in nearly two years.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.8Jun 15, 2023Virgin Galactic sets late June date for first commercial SpaceShipTwo flight

Unity 25 reached an altitude at release of 44,152 m.

CapabilityValue 4.0May 29, 2023Virgin Galactic Successfully Completes its Unity 25 Mission to Space

VSS Unity reached a peak altitude of 87.2 km on the Unity 25 flight.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0May 25, 2023Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years

Virgin Galactic released VSS Unity at 12:23 p.m. Eastern on 2025-05-25.

PlanGeneralValue 2.0May 25, 2023Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years

VSS Unity’s peak altitude of 87.2 km on Unity 25 was above the 50-mile threshold used by U.S. government agencies for awarding astronaut wings and below the 100-kilometer Kármán line.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0May 25, 2023Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years

Unity 25 was the first powered flight of SpaceShipTwo since July 2021.

PlanValue 2.5May 25, 2023Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years

VSS Unity reached a top speed of Mach 2.94 on the Unity 25 flight.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.2May 25, 2023Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years