Virgin Galactic has picked itself up and dusted off after a tragic crash in 2015 to reveal an updated version of its SpaceShipTwo commercial craft, the Virgin Spaceship Unity, or VSS Unity, which will begin testing in California and New Mexico.
Virgin owner Sir Richard Branson explained that the spaceship is equipped with “new bells and whistles” in a promotional video released through his company’s website. However, not much news has been released about the differences between the new craft and the SpaceShipTwo.
VSS Unity comes in a silver and white color scheme and is actually the inaugural craft to come from The Spaceship Company, Virgin Galactic’s own manufacturing line.
Famous physicist Stephen Hawking was actually the one who named the craft, and said, “I would be very proud to fly on this spaceship,” in a recorded speech that was shown during the VSS Unity’s reveal in California.
In October 2014, the first SpaceShipTwo craft, named VSS Enterprise, broke apart midflight and crashed, resulting in the death of its co-pilot and serious injuries to the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board revealed the crash happened because of human error, which it faulted Virgin Galactic for not anticipating.
Branson and Virgin Galactic see the VSS Unity as a fresh start for the company. The company has continued to move forward with its commercial space flight plans, unveiling one-piece pilot uniforms by fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 label.