The second phase of Project: Unity came to a successful close earlier as Unity XII parachuted back to our oceans. This phase of the project tested the new Falcon launch vehicle's sub-orbital flight capabilities as well as the all-important Command Pod that will be home to the pioneering Kerbal's during their trip into space.
Unity VIII through to Unity XII were included in this phase. The tests proved that sub-orbital flight was achievable and all necessary maneuvering was possible with the thruster-pack of the capsule. Re-entry was also successful.
Unity XI launches for advance maneuver testing
There were, however, two failures. Unity VIII was aborted from the launch vehicle at T+01:41 after the rocket pitched over too heavily and began to tumble. Although it leveled out, the mission was unrecoverable. At the very least, it was a perfect opportunity to test the LES on a fully-live mission. Thankfully, the capsule splashed down safely. Unity IX also experienced failure when the jettisoning of it's thruster-pack was heavily delayed. Then it's parachute deployed too early after re-entry and tore from it's housing, sending the capsule crashing into the ocean. This was the only Command Pod not to be recovered from this phase of the project.
Unity XII splashes down and will be the final unmanned flight
Unity XI and XII practiced advance maneuvering while in space before re-entering. These both returned safely and closed out the second phase of Project: Unity. The next launch will be the first manned flight.
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