SpaceShip III
{{Short description|Upcoming class of spaceplanes by Virgin Galactic}}
{{Infobox individual space vehicle
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| manufacturer = Virgin Galactic
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SpaceShip III (SS3, also with Roman numeral: SSIII; formerly SpaceShipThree) was a planned class of spaceplanes by Virgin Galactic to follow SpaceShipTwo. It was first teased on the Virgin Galactic Twitter account on 25 February 2021 announcing the rollout of the first SpaceShip III plane on 30 March 2021.{{cite tweet | author=Virgin Galactic | user=VirginGalactic | number=1365067875648737282 |title=The Future of the Fleet. Rollout, March 30th.}}
By June 2024, development of the two SpaceShip III vehicles, VSS Imagine and VSS Inspire was canceled, with the intention of using the vehicles for ground testing and development for the successor Delta-class spacecraft.{{Cite web |last=Sheetz |first=Michael |website=CNBC |date=13 June 2024 |title=Investing in Space: Virgin Galactic enters spaceflight hiatus after retiring Unity |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/13/investing-in-space-virgin-galactic-enters-spaceflight-hiatus.html }} Ultimately, no example of a SpaceShip III vehicle was ever completed or flown in any way (i.e. no captive carry flight, no glide flight, no powered flight nor any other type of flight).
Concept evolution
The purpose originally proposed for SpaceShipThree in 2005 was for commercial orbital spaceflight, as part of a program called "Tier 2" by Burt Rutan founder of Scaled Composites.{{cite news |title= SpaceShipThree poised to follow if SS2 succeeds |publisher= FlightGlobal |work= Flight International |date= 23 August 2005 |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2005/08/23/201097/spaceshipthree-poised-to-follow-if-ss2-succeeds.html |access-date= 2008-01-25 }}{{cite news |author=David |first=Leonard |date=11 August 2006 |title=Burt Rutan on Civilian Spaceflight, Breakthroughs, and Inside SpaceShipTwo |url=http://www.space.com/2728-burt-rutan-civilian-spaceflight-breakthroughs-spaceshiptwo.html |publisher=Space.com}}
By 2008, Scaled Composites had reduced those plans and articulated a conceptual design wherein the SpaceShipThree vehicles were to be used for transportation through point-to-point suborbital spaceflight traveling outside the atmosphere with the spacecrafts providing, for example, a two-hour trip on the Kangaroo Route (from London to Sydney or Melbourne).[http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/hyperbola/2008/02/spaceshipthree-revealed.html SpaceShipThree revealed?], FlightGlobal Hyperbola, Rob Coppinger, 29 Feb 2008
Scaled was sold to Northrop Grumman in 2007, {{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2007/08/27/daily1.html |title= Northrop buys the rest of Scaled Composites |publisher= Albuquerque Business First |agency= Business Journals |date= 27 August 2007 }} and references to further work on a conceptual Scaled SS3 ended at some point afterwards from Scaled. Scaled was realigned by Northrop Grumman in 2015 as a research unit. {{cite web |author=Drew |first=James |date=6 August 2015 |title=Northrop realigns Scaled Composites under advanced research unit |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/northrop-realigns-scaled-composites-under-advanced-research-unit/117876.article |publisher=Flight Global}} Virgin Galactic acquired full control of The Spaceship Company in 2012, the manufacturer of SS2. {{cite news |url= https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121005005907/en/Virgin-Galactic-Acquires-Full-Ownership-of-The-Spaceship-Company |title= Virgin Galactic Acquires Full Ownership of The Spaceship Company |date= 5 October 2012 |publisher= Business Wire }} The technology was built upon the base technology owned by Mojave Aerospace Ventures of Paul Allen, originally licensed in 2004. {{cite web |url= https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1706946/000119312519215509/d785777dex1027.htm |id= EX-10.27 |title= Exhibit 10.27: Spacecraft Technology License Agreement |publisher= U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission }} {{cite news |url= https://spacenews.com/virgin-group-sign-deal-with-paul-g-allens-mojave-aerospace/ |title= Virgin Group Sign Deal with Paul G. Allen's Mojave Aerospace |date= 27 September 2004 |publisher= SpaceRef}} As Allen died in 2018, {{cite news |author=Lohr |first=Steve |date=15 October 2018 |title=Paul G. Allen, Microsoft's Co-Founder, Is Dead at 65 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/obituaries/paul-allen-dead.html |work=The New York Times}} subsequent space activities of the Vulcan Group went inactive.
By 2016, Richard Branson was still planning to have a point-to-point sub-orbital spaceliner follow-up to SpaceShipTwo, for Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company.{{cite news |author=Klotz |first=Irene |date=19 February 2016 |title=Branson's Virgin Galactic moves to return to space race |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-virgin-galactic-idUSKCN0VS00F |work=Reuters}}
Revised concept
The SpaceShip III vehicle concept was revised to provide just a few minutes of weightlessness and views for space tourists for Virgin Galactic, and was meant to be a production version of SpaceShipTwo,{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-unveils-spaceship-iii-spacecraft |title=Meet VSS Imagine: Virgin Galactic unveils its first SpaceShip III spacecraft |website=Space.com |date=30 March 2021}} with improved maintenance and flight rate performance. It did not have point to point transportation capabilities as previously envisioned in 2016.
In early 2021, Virgin Galactic teased an upcoming vehicle on their Twitter account with the name shown in stylized font as "SPACESHIP 3".
Development
The first Spaceship III, VSS Imagine suborbital spaceplane for Virgin Galactic, was announced on 25 February 2021 and was rolled out on 30 March 2021. On that occasion, it was indicated there was ground testing to be done before glide test flights could commence, no earlier than the summer of 2021. Imagine was one of two SpaceShip III class spacecraft on order by Virgin Galactic, the second being VSS Inspire.{{Cite web|last=Roulette|first=Joey|date=30 March 2021|title=Virgin Galactic unveils new SpaceShip III|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356889/virgin-galactic-unveils-new-spaceship-iii-three-3|access-date=30 March 2021}}
List of vehicles
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| | Name
!| Unveil date !| In-service date !| Out-of-service date !class=unsortable| Notes !class=unsortable| | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | {{sort|Imagine, VSS|{{ship|VSS|Imagine}}}} | 2021
| Never | Never | First SSIII | {{cite web |author=Etherington |first=Darrell |date=30 March 2021 |title=Virgin Galactic debuts its first third-generation spaceship, 'VSS Imagine' |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/30/virgin-galactic-debuts-its-first-third-generation-spaceship-vss-imagine/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} |
| | {{sort|Inspire, VSS|{{ship|VSS|Inspire}}}}
| Never | Never | Never | Second announced SSIII |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7897-space-tourism-companies-aiming-for-orbit.html Space tourism companies aiming for orbit] (New Scientist Space, 8/24/2005)
{{Virgin Galactic}}
{{The Spaceship Company}}
{{Scaled Composites}}
{{Spaceplanes}}
{{Space tourism}}
{{Reusable launch systems}}
{{Crewed spacecraft}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaceship 3}}
Category:Reusable launch systems
Category:Rocket-powered aircraft
Category:Experimental vehicles