Virgin Galactic sets new record at 2.47 times speed of sound
Billionaire Richard Branson-backed Virgin Galactic set a new speed record of Mach 2.47 and flew to a record altitude of 52 km in the third successful test flight of its spaceplane. VSS Unity, which aims to take paying customers to the edge of space (100 km) in a 60-second engine burn, achieved an ignition of 42 seconds in the test.