A spacecraft from the Virgin Galactic space tourism company reached space on Thursday for the first time in nearly two years, the company founded by billionaire Richard Branson announced.
The flight, which is the company’s fifth to cross the frontier of space, was the last test before commercial operations began. Now announced for the end of June, they have been expected for years and around 800 customers have already bought their tickets.
Space program delayed by fatal accident
Virgin Galactic’s space program has suffered years of delays, notably from a 2014 accident that killed a pilot.
Then, after the space flight carried Britain’s own Richard Branson in July 2021, the company announced a break, dedicated to improving its machine. This lasted much longer than originally planned.
On Thursday, the mission called Unity 25 took place from the Spaceport America base, in the New Mexico desert (southwest). The crew consisted of Virgin Galactic employees.
“Looking at our beautiful planet from up there, something very few humans have been able to do, was a solemn experience that filled me with humbling and awe,” said one, Christopher Huie, quoted in a company statement. “As one of the first twenty black people to go into space, I look forward to inspiring the next generation of astronauts,” he added.
Up to 87 kilometers above sea level
A huge transport plane, named VMS EVE, took off at 9:15 local time (15:15 GMT) from a conventional runway, with two pilots at the controls. It then dropped the craft, called VSS Unity, which looks like a large private jet, at altitude. On board – four passengers, and again two pilots.
Then the machine fired its engine until it exceeded 87 kilometers in altitude (according to the US military, the definition of space is 80 km). The spacecraft then descended while gliding, before landing on the runway, like a conventional aircraft, at 10:37 a.m. local time.
In all, the proposed ride only offers about ten minutes in space, but passengers can peel off and float in zero gravity.
Tickets up to $450,000
The first commercial flight, called Galactic 01, will be carried out with the Italian Air Force.
Between 2005 and 2014, Virgin Galactic had sold some 600 space tickets, priced between $200,000 and $250,000. Then 200 more have been sold in recent years, for $450,000 each.
Virgin Galactic competes with billionaire Jeff Bezos’ company, Blue Origin, which also offers short suborbital flights and has already sent 32 people into space.
But since a September 2022 crash during a drone flight, his rocket has been grounded. Blue Origin promised in March to resume spaceflight “soon.”
Source: BFM TV
