Virgin Galactic Receives License To Take Members Of The Public Into Space
Image via Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic, part of entrepreneur Richard Branson’s slew of ventures, has finally gained the US government’s approval to take passengers into space.
On June 25, the rocketship firm confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded it with the license needed to carry passengers on commercial interstellar rides from its base in New Mexico.
According to ABC News, Virgin Galactic is currently working towards three more test flights, with plans for Branson to be aboard a test flight later in the year. It also intends to launch its commercial passenger model starting next year.
While there’s much speculation if Branson will beat Jeff Bezos into space, with the Blue Origin founder’s maiden flight scheduled for July 20, it’s still unclear which billionaire will reach the stars first.
Differing from Blue Origin and SpaceX’s capsules, which are launched from the ground by reusable rockets, Virgin Galactic makes use of a winged spacecraft that is launched from the belly of an airplane. More than 600 people have already reserved their tickets aboard Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft, with passengers shelling out US$250,000 per ticket.
“Today’s approval by the FAA of our full commercial launch license, in conjunction with the success of our May 22 test flight, give us confidence as we proceed toward our first fully crewed test flight this summer,” said CEO Michael Colglazier.
With Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk all in the space race, who will come out as the top dog in the galaxy?
Full Commercial Launch license ✅ Our recent #Unity21 spaceflight performed well against all flight objectives and marks the first time the FAA has licensed a spaceline to fly customers. Next up in our test program – a fully crewed spaceflight this Summer https://t.co/y0P69gofbK pic.twitter.com/fAUWxp8YNy
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) June 25, 2021
[via ABC News, cover image via Virgin Galactic]
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