Virgin Galactic's efforts to establish a new commercial space travel service have taken a step forward after the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) vessel completed its first "feathered" flight.

SS2 - named VSS Enterprise - was transported to a height of 51,500ft (15,697m) by carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo from Mojave Air and Space Port, California, US. The vessel was released and established a stable glide profile before using its "feathered" re-entry configuration, which rotates the tail up at a 65 degree angle to the main fuselage.

It descended at a rate of around 15,500ft (4,724m) per minute before returning to its normal glide configuration at around 33,500ft (10,210m) and completed its flight at Mojave. Virgin Galactic CEO and president George Whitesides said: "We have shown that the unique feathering re-entry mechanism, probably the single most important safety innovation within the whole system, works perfectly."

Image: Clay Center Observatory