Virgin Galactic has successfully tested its feather re-entry system in flight for the first time, the company said this week. The system, which is designed to enable VSS Unity to safely return to Earth after carrying tourists to the edge of space, reconfigures the vehicle by folding up its twin tail booms. The structure acts as a brake, allowing supersonic speeds to be safely dissipated so the vehicle can descend to a slow and safe runway landing. The flight test followed extensive testing of the feather system on the ground. In upcoming flight tests, VSS Unity will activate its feather system shortly after release from the carrier aircraft,VMS Eve, to test how the feather system functions under flight conditions and to evaluate the flying qualities of VSS Unity while the feather is raised.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/virgin-galactic-feather-test-successful