Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson has successfully completed his first flight into space, in a demonstration of confidence for the technology that secures the future of commercial space tourism. Jenny Southan reports
Can you imagine what would have happened if Unity 22 had exploded with Richard Branson on board? It would have been hard to imagine that any consumer would be willing to book a trip into space with Virgin Galactic after that.
Thankfully, the company’s 22nd test flight on July 11 was a huge success, achieving an altitude of 53.5 miles and granting its passengers a few minutes of glorious weightlessness, along with incredible views of planet Earth.
Not only was the mission the first with a full Virgin Galactic crew on board but the first in-flight livestream broadcast of the spaceflight experience. It was also the first time a billionaire had been in space. (A recording of the livestream can be accessed on Virgin Galactic’s YouTube channel.)
VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 (three times faster than the speed of sound) after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve. In space, Branson shared some inspiring words, while the crew bounced joyously around the cabin in Zero G.
After Branson himself enjoyed the feeling of weightlessness, the aircraft made its descent, gliding smoothly to a runway and landing at Spaceport America.
According to the BBC, Virgin Galactic hopes to start commercial flights next year. It also quoted Branson as saying: “I’ve had my notebook with me and I’ve written down 30 or 40 little things that will make the experience for the next person who goes to space with us that much better. The only way sometimes you can find these little things is to get in a spaceship and go to space and experience it for yourself.”
“I want to thank our talented team, including our pilots and crew, whose dedication and commitment made today possible. They are helping open the door for greater access to space – so it can be for the many and not just for the few.”
In an interview with the Financial Times, Colglazier also said that he wants to operate more than one tourist flight a day into space, and from multiple spaceports around the world (Puglia in Italy and Cornwall in the UK have been tipped in the past).
He said: “At every spaceport we’re going to target about 400 flights a year. I’m expecting high single-digit numbers to low double-digit numbers of spaceships [at each site] in order to kind of reach numbers like that.”