It will take some time for Virgin to crunch all the data it gathered during the flight, but it says initial reports from the pilots and ground control are "extremely encouraging." Even if the system's first test flight turns out to be a resounding success, the company plans to put its feathering system through even more. In future tests, Unity will activate its feather system shortly after release to see how it works in flight before the spacecraft has to land. It will be tested in lower altitudes and thicker atmosphere, as well.

Virgin Galactic will release its results in the future. For now, check out a video of Unity's first feather deployment below: