Virgin Galactic Completes First Civilian Flight To Space
July 11, 2021Virgin Galactic has become the first company to shuttle civilians to space and back. This is its fourth rocket-powered spaceflight and the 22nd test flight of VSS Unity. It’s also the craft’s first test flight with a full manned crew, which includes the company’s founder, Sir Richard Branson.
The mission’s test objectives included various “customer-centric” parameters that will help pave the way for future flights for civilians. It included the feasibility of using said cabin for commercial use, the ability to look out at earth from space, conditions for conducting research and effectiveness of the 5-day pre-flight training programme.
VSS Unity received a “piggyback” ride aboard VMS Eve. Once released, it achieved a speed of Mach 3 and reached space at the altitude of 53.5 miles (86km). Then, the spacecraft came gliding back and touched down on the runway landing at Spaceport America.
This successful flight provided a glimpse into the journey one would have aboard Virgin Galactic’s commercial service of sending people to space. Unlike the early days of spaceflight, the 21st century version offers far more cabin room and large windows to look out of and witness that the earth isn’t flat .
Sir Richard Branson had this to say of his experience, “I have dreamt about this moment since I was a child, but nothing could have prepared me for the view of Earth from space. We are at the vanguard of a new space age. I can’t wait to share this experience with aspiring astronauts around the world.”
Virgin Galactic beat out Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin to space, setting a precedent of what a successful and unhindered commercial spaceflight looks like. Branson’s mission is to make spaceflight accessible to all, however that appears to be a pipedream for now.
Branson also announced a partnership with Omaze and Space for Humanity to inspire the next generation of dreamers and spur future flights into space. This milestone is a significant one, because it confirms that brief space travel is a lot safer than it used to be.
The mission specialists in the cabin were Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor; Colin Bennett, Lead Flight Operations Engineer; Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations; and the Company’s founder, Sir Richard Branson. The VSS Unity pilots were Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, while Kelly Latimer and CJ Sturckow piloted VMS Eve.
