Flight 06: a clear morning at 103.8 km

Ignition came at 06:25, thirty seconds inside the window. The air over the pad was still, the way it usually is before the desert warms up, and the crew reported a smoother climb than flight 05.

Main engine cut-off at 42 kilometres. From there the cabin goes quiet, and this is the part nobody is ready for however many times we describe it. The vehicle coasted to 103.8 kilometres, held for four minutes and seven seconds, and started home.

Peak load on re-entry was 3.1 g, well inside what everyone had felt in the centrifuge. Touchdown was at 06:41, on the pad, with the ground crew already walking out.

Every seat on flight 06 came home with a view they will keep for good. Flight 07 boards in September.