May 29, 2009 Your dream of taking a ride into space just took a big step forward with Virgin Galactic announcing the completion of phase one testing on the rocket motor that will propel SpaceShipTwo into suborbital space.

The Virgin Galactic project to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public will also act as a stepping stone to the company’s plans for future orbital flights and will almost certainly lead to a dramatic decrease in long haul international flight times – a couple of hours from Sydney to London anyone?

The innovative rocket motor uses the largest hybrid Nitrous Oxide system of its kind in the world to achieve speeds over 2,500 mph (4,000 kmh) and send amateur astronauts to heights over 65 miles (110km) above the Earth’s surface.

Virgin points out that, although the rocket motor is extremely powerful, it is also completely controllable – a nice attribute to have when you’re when traveling at over Mach 4.

Since the SpaceShipTwo will be launched from the Virgin MotherShip Eve (VMS Eve) in the upper atmosphere, the rocket also boasts a low environmental impact when compared to the current solid rockets used in most ground-based systems.

This is due to the reduction in fuel needed for a mid air launch, and the fuel burn is more environmentally benign.