SpaceShipThree

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Vahe Demirjian

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Over the last decade, Scaled Composites has offered to develop the SpaceShipThree orbital spaceplane if SpaceShipTwo is a commercial success. For more information on SpaceShipThree......


As acknowledged by Scaled Composites, propelling a TSTO passenger spaceplane into orbit is daunting and requires powerful engines and a brand new airframe. With SpaceShipTwo now poised to make its first powered flight anytime soon, Scaled Composites may buy time to investigates a limited ranges of ideas for what the final configuration of SpaceShipThree will look like. To achieve sufficient altitude during the orbital ascent, SpaceShipThree may have to use the configuration of NASP in which the fuselage and the wings are blended into an tapered triangle.
 
I'd like to see them actually deliver on their first promise before making more of them.
 
Johnbr said:
I read they to soon do a in fight engine test.
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The first powered flight of SpaceShipTwo has already passed........

http://news.discovery.com/space/private-spaceflight/spaceshiptwo-virgin-galactic-supersonic-rocket-test-130429.htm

To make SpaceShipThree suitable for orbital flight, Scaled Composites would have to make the airframe bigger to make room for a combined-cycle rocket/turboramjet engine able to produce 600,000 pounds of thrust. I'd be surprised by SpaceShipTwo can reach Mach 3.7.
 
Vahe Demirjian said:
To make SpaceShipThree suitable for orbital flight, Scaled Composites would have to make the airframe bigger to make room for a combined-cycle rocket/turboramjet engine able to produce 600,000 pounds of thrust. I'd be surprised by SpaceShipTwo can reach Mach 3.7.
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What about rockets makes them inadequate?
 
quellish said:
Vahe Demirjian said:
To make SpaceShipThree suitable for orbital flight, Scaled Composites would have to make the airframe bigger to make room for a combined-cycle rocket/turboramjet engine able to produce 600,000 pounds of thrust. I'd be surprised by SpaceShipTwo can reach Mach 3.7.
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What about rockets makes them inadequate?
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SS2 is not designed for orbital flight. Doesn't have the thermal protection required for coming back from orbit. Doesn't have the thrust to get to orbit. You wouldn't use that vehicle. You'd have to pretty much start from scratch. There is a HUGE gap between suborbital flight and orbital flight in terms of velocity and thermal protection.
 
Hi all,

I know that when I posted this thread eight years ago, SpaceShipThree remained a conceptual spaceplane, its chance of being cleared for full-scale development contingent on the success of SpaceShipTwo. Since then, SpaceShipTwo has made several successful suborbital flights, including the first Mach 3 flight in February 2019. The first SpaceShipThree, called VSS Imagine, was officially rolled out by Virgin Galactic on March 30, 2021, and a second SS3, called VSS Inspire, remains on order. The SpaceShipThree offers improved maintenance and flight rate performance compared to SpaceShipTwo and does not have point to point transportation capabilities as previously envisioned in 2016.

Links regarding SpaceShipThree:
www.virgingalactic.com

Home | Virgin Galactic

www.virgingalactic.com www.virgingalactic.com
www.theverge.com

Virgin Galactic unveils new SpaceShip III

Branson’s space tourism firm is aiming for production efficiency
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
www.space.com

Meet VSS Imagine: Virgin Galactic unveils its first SpaceShip III spacecraft

VSS Unity has company.
www.space.com www.space.com
 
The original SS3 was supposed to be an orbital spaceplane. The vehicle they unveiled now seems to be an updated SS2 and won't be orbital.
 
Hobbes said:
The original SS3 was supposed to be an orbital spaceplane. The vehicle they unveiled now seems to be an updated SS2 and won't be orbital.
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If the SpaceShipThree begin flight tests, will the SS3 have a decent chance of flying past an altitude of 300,000 feet at Mach 3.3 on one of its test flights?
 
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Spaceship Three needs to be a Stratolaunched deal. Lots of seats to 100 km....or few with extra tankage to go higher/faster. The two companies could help each other. SS2 types abandoned and White Knight 2 an observdrone with belly pods.
 
publiusr said:
Spaceship Three needs to be a Stratolaunched deal. Lots of seats to 100 km....or few with extra tankage to go higher/faster. The two companies could help each other. SS2 types abandoned and White Knight 2 an observdrone with belly pods.
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But it's not. Spaceship Three is basically a product improved and more maintainer-friendly version of Spaceship Two. Same size, just easier to maintain.
 
Is it possible that Virgin Galactic will revive the notion of using SpaceShipThree for point-to-point transportation so that SpaceShipThree beats out the Boom Overture and HyperMach SonicStar in the new US supersonic airliner race in terms of producing an aerospaceliner that can travel to New York or Chicago in just 25 minutes?
 
Vahe Demirjian said:
Is it possible that Virgin Galactic will revive the notion of using SpaceShipThree for point-to-point transportation so that SpaceShipThree beats out the Boom Overture and HyperMach SonicStar in the new US supersonic airliner race in terms of producing an aerospaceliner that can travel to New York or Chicago in just 25 minutes?
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No.
 

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