| Virgin Galactic Unity 25 | |
| Mission Type: | Crewed sub-orbital spaceflight |
| Operator: | Virgin Galactic |
| Spacecraft: | VSS Unity |
| Spacecraft Type: | SpaceShipTwo |
| Manufacturer: | The Spaceship Company |
| Crew Size: | 6 |
| Crew Members: | Michael Masucci Frederick W. Sturckow Beth Moses Luke Mays Jamila Gilbert Christopher Huie |
| Launch Date: | 25 May 2023 15:15:00UTC |
| Launch Site: | Spaceport America Runway 34 |
| Landing Date: | 25 May 2023 16:37:00UTC |
| Landing Site: | Spaceport America Runway 34 |
| Programme: | VSS Unity spaceflights |
| Previous Mission: | Unity 22 |
| Next Mission: | Galactic 01 |
| Insignia: | File:Virgin Galactic - Unity 25 Patch.png |
| Insignia Caption: | Virgin Galactic Unity 25 mission patch |
Virgin Galactic Unity 25 was a sub-orbital spaceflight by Virgin Galactic that took place on 25 May 2023. The flight used their SpaceShipTwo spaceplane VSS Unity. The crew consisted of six Virgin Galactic employees. Unity 25 was the first spaceflight for the company since Unity 22 in 2021, when founder Richard Branson flew to space.[1]
Unity 25 was the first spaceflight for Virgin Galactic since Richard Branson flew to space in July 2021. The company had planned to fly a research flight for the Italian Air Force, Unity 23, later that year, but the fleet was temporarily grounded following an error during Branson's flight, along with upgrades and modifications being made to the vehicles. Virgin Galactic plans to fly its first commercial flight in late June 2023, following Unity 25's success.[2]
The crew of Unity 25 included two pilots and four passengers, all being employees at Virgin Galactic. Both pilots have flown SpaceShipTwo to space previously, and CJ Sturckow has flown to space on the Space Shuttle. Of the four passengers, only Beth Moses had flown to space before.[3]
The mission was Virgin Galactic's fifth spaceflight. VMS Eve, a WhiteKnightTwo mothership, took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, and carried VSS Unity in a parasite configuration before releasing it. From there, the spaceplane ignited its rocket engine and flew to over in altitude, above the U.S. definition for the start of space, but below the FAI-defined Kármán line at . It then reentered the atmosphere and landed on the same runway it took off from.[4]