Virgin Galactic spaceship makes 1st crewed flight over Mojave Desert

Virgin Galactic spacecraft makes 1st crewed flight

MOJAVE, California — A company working to send tourists on suborbital flights tested its spacecraft with a crew for the first time.

Virgin Galactic says the craft remained attached to a specially designed airplane throughout a six-hour flight over California’s Mojave desert Thursday.

On its website, the company congratulated the crew and said “Objectives achieved.” It says the two crew members evaluated all of the spaceship’s systems and functions.

Virgin Galactic says the flight test program will run through 2011 before it starts commercial operations.