Virgin Galactic is set to hold new flight tests for its SuperShipTwo spacecraft designed to take people on trips through space.
While no specific dates have been provided for the tests, George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said the commercial spaceliner's rocket motor has passed important qualifications tests last week, so test flights could resume "hopefully quite soon," according to Space.com.
SpaceShipTwo will launch two pilots and six passengers on private trips, and space travelers have already booked their $250,000 seats to go on journeys across the stars.
The private spaceflight company held its most recent test flight on Jan. 2nd of this year, CNET reported. The qualifications tests were held in because the company had to change the rocket motor's solid fuel in May from hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, which was causing engine instabilities, to thermoplastic polyamide, a plastic that will let the spaceship travel at higher altitudes.
"We've done a lot of development tests over the years, but what we've been doing recently are qualification tests where you're firing the same motor design multiple times to make sure you're seeing the same thing every time," Whitesides said. "So now we feel ready to put that motor on the spaceship."
SpaceShipTwo has completed 54 tests flights so far, including a successful unpowered test "glide flight" in August when it rotated its tail and wings, which is what it would do to increase stability while descending from a suborbital flight. No tests have been done yet with the new fuel.
Virgin Galactic will launch the spacecraft from its high-altitude carrier WhiteKnightTwo, CNET reported.
The possibility of taking a trip through space has gained attention around the world, with Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson saying he wants to be on the company's first commercial flight by February or March of 2015. Over 700 people have booked a Virgin Galactic flight so far, including Ashton Kutcher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Stephen Hawking and other celebrities.
