The first commercial spacecraft to fly

Enterprise, the world's first passenger spacecraft, made its first test flight in the United States yesterday.

Enterprise spacecraft before release. (Internet photo)

The BBC said Virgin Galactic company conducted a test flight in Mojave town, California state. The Enterprise ship was taken by an aircraft to an altitude of 13,700 m. After leaving the plane it glided down to the Mojave Civil Aviation Test Center with the control of two pilots.

The test takes about 25 minutes. Billionaire Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Galactic, tracks the flight process of Enterprise.

Virgin Galactic wants to be the first provider of space tourism in the world. The company received a deposit of 370 people. Ticket price for each passenger is 200,000 USD.

Scaled Composites - a company based in Mojave city - is the manufacturer of the Enterprise ship. Made of composite carbon, the lightest and most durable material available today, the vessel is capable of carrying two pilots and six passengers.

When officially operating, the Enterprise will be airborne by an aircraft named Eve. At an altitude of 18 km, the spacecraft separates from the plane and launches the rocket to fly to a height of 100 km. At a height of 100 km, passengers will enjoy the feeling of weightlessness in the universe and watch the earth.

Eve and the Enterprise spacecraft flew several times, but this was the first time the Enterprise was released from the air and flew by itself.