Virgin Galactic, the pioneering space tourism company, has reached a significant milestone by completing its first spaceflight in nearly two years. The flight, the fifth time the company has ventured to the edge of space, is regarded as the final test before Virgin Galactic can begin commercial operations. The company expects to launch its space tourism program in late June, with the Italian Air Force as the first paying customer.
The recent flight, aptly named “Touchdown, VSS Unity!” after the company’s spaceplane, saw six employees, including two pilots, embark on a brief journey that included weightlessness. The spaceplane was carried by a mother ship to an altitude of 13,500 meters (44,500 feet) before being released and igniting its rocket motor for the final push. The spaceplane gracefully glided back to Earth, landing smoothly at Spaceport America in New Mexico after reaching an impressive altitude of 87 kilometres (54.2 miles).
This significant achievement comes nearly two years after Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, became the first billionaire to travel into space, defeating Jeff Bezos and his rocket company, Blue Origin. Bezos, on the other hand, launched his spacecraft nine days later from West Texas, and Blue Origin has since completed several passenger flights.
The road to realizing Virgin Galactic’s space program has not been without difficulties. Years of delays have plagued the company, as has a tragic accident in 2014 that claimed the life of a pilot. Following Branson’s flight, federal aviation authorities temporarily halted Virgin Galactic launches to investigate an incident in which the rocket ship veered off course during descent.
During the hiatus, the Federal Aviation Administration worked closely with Virgin Galactic to address the issue and implement necessary changes to improve safety. Both the carrier plane and the space plane were modified. However, the process took longer than expected due to supply chain issues and labour shortages, resulting in a nearly double-time delay. Unlike other companies that use vertical-launch rockets, Virgin Galactic uses a carrier plane with two pilots that take off from a runway, climbs to a high altitude, and then releases a rocket-powered plane that propels into space before gliding back to Earth.
Passengers will travel for approximately 90 minutes, with a few minutes of weightlessness experienced within the spaceplane’s cabin. Virgin Galactic has spent more than a decade developing its space tourism program, which was finally approved by the federal government in 2021.
The first commercial flight, scheduled for later this year, will feature members of the Italian Air Force conducting experimental research. Customers who bought tickets years ago for the chance to experience weightlessness aboard a winged spacecraft launched from a carrier plane will be accommodated as a result.
Approximately 800 tickets have been sold over the last decade, with the initial batch costing $200,000 each. Tickets are currently available for $450,000 per person. Since 2018, Virgin Galactic has successfully launched into space five times, and it hopes to achieve an ambitious goal of 400 flights per year from its spaceport in southern New Mexico once its next class of rocket-powered planes is completed at a facility in neighbouring Arizona.
The successful test flight represents a significant advancement in the evolution of space tourism. Virgin Galactic’s accomplishments not only pave the way for paying customers to venture beyond the Earth’s atmosphere but also inspire a new generation of space enthusiasts and explorers. As the company’s commercial operations take off, the future of space tourism appears to be within reach.
