MOJAVE, Calif., April 29 (UPI) -- The Virgin Galactic space plane being developed to carry fare-paying passengers into space made its first powered flight over California, company officials say.
The vehicle, SpaceShipTwo, was dropped from a carrier aircraft high above California's Mojave Desert Monday morning and ignited its rocket engine for 16 seconds, reaching a speed of Mach 1.2, the Los Angeles Times reported.