Virgin Galactic conducted the third supersonic flight, reaching a new height

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo spacecraft reached a new height of 21.6 km during the third supersonic flight, which is 600 meters higher than during the last flight, writes The Verge. The ship returned safely to earth under the supervision of chief pilot Dave Mackay.

The mission was designed to check the thermal coverage on the tail of the vessel, as well as a reactive control system designed to control the spatial position of the ship and perform maneuvers in outer space.

Previously, Virgin Galactic promised to launch its first commercial space flights in 2014, and it has less than a year left to keep its promise. The company however is confident that it will be on time.
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“With each flight test, we are gradually approaching our goal of launching commercial operation in 2014,” says George Whitesides, general manager of Virgin Galactic.

After the launch of the ship, the company's founder, Richard Branson, also confirmed the promise, saying: "2014 will be the year when we finally send our beautiful spaceship to its natural environment - space."