Watch: Virgin Galactic Successfully Launches Its First Fully-Crewed Spaceflight
Image via Virgin Galactic
As of July 11, Virgin Galactic has completed its first fully-crewed spaceflight, taking the company’s founder, UK entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, up to space. The VSS Unity successfully made a round trip to space and reached back to Earth in just over an hour.
The crew that accompanied him on this mission were the two pilots of the Unity, Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci; and three Galactic employees, Beth Moses, Colin Bennett and Sirisha Bandla. Kelly Latimer and CJ Sturckow piloted VMS Eve, the Unity’s mothership. The Unity crew reached up to 85 kilometers (nearly 53 miles) in height.
“Today is a landmark achievement for the Company and a historic moment for the new commercial space industry,” said Michael Colglazier, the CEO of Virgin Galactic, in a press release. With each successful mission, we are paving the way for the next generation of astronauts.”
Image via Virgin Galactic
This trip makes Branson the first space tourism “pioneer” to test out their own space vehicle, even before Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. He shares that “nothing could have prepared me for the view of Earth from space”, and is determined to make space tourism an accessible option from as early as next year.
“For so long, we have looked back in wonder at the space pioneers of yesterday,” he continues. “Now, I want the astronauts of tomorrow to look forward and make their own dreams come true.”
The Unity flight livestream can be rewatched here:
I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship looking down to our beautiful Earth. To the next generation of dreamers: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do https://t.co/Wyzj0nOBgX #Unity22 @virgingalactic pic.twitter.com/03EJmKiH8V
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) July 11, 2021
VSS Unity reached:
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) July 11, 2021
A speed of Mach 3
A space altitude of 53.5 miles
Watch the full flight at https://t.co/5UalYT7Hjb#Unity22 pic.twitter.com/Kcgai497Nd
[via The BBC, images via Virgin Galactic]
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