Aboard the VSS Unity spaceplane, Virgin Galactic successfully flew its first space tourists. This mission, called Galactic-02, marked the company’s second commercial flight and was the first to have paying customers on board instead of trained astronauts.
VSS Unity, the smaller spaceplane, was carried by a larger aircraft called VMS Eve. Eve took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, releasing Unity at an altitude of around 13.5 kilometers. Once released, Unity’s engine ignited and took the craft to an altitude of a little over 80 kilometers, which is considered the edge of space by the US government. Some scientists, however, define the lower boundary of space as 100 kilometers. During their flight, the passengers experienced a few minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth.
The passengers on Galactic-02 included Anastatia Mayers and Keisha Schahaff, a mother-daughter pair from Antigua and Barbuda who won their seats in a charity raffle. The third passenger was Jon Goodwin, a former Olympic canoeist from the UK, who purchased his ticket for around $250,000 in 2005. Goodwin had held onto his ticket since then, as Virgin Galactic’s first launch to space was delayed until 2018. He was finally able to cash in his ticket and join the flight.
The crew also included astronaut trainer Beth Moses, as well as two pilots who are employees of Virgin Galactic. The company has stated that this mission will be followed by regular launches, approximately one per month. Therefore, the next commercial flight could take place as early as September.
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