Virgin Galactic 05 successfully completed its space mission earlier today, marking the company’s tenth spaceflight to date. The crew consisted of U.S. Planetary Scientist Dr. Alan Stern, U.S. Payload Specialist Kellie Gerardi, and private astronaut Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge.
Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its first commercial spaceflight with ‘Galactic 01’. VSS Unity left Spaceport America in New Mexico at 10:30 a.m. ET and reached suborbital space approximately 58 minutes later. The spacecraft floated at an apogee of 52.9 miles before safely returning to Spaceport America at 11:42 a.m. ET.
Virgin Galactic’s Unity 25 mission successfully launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico with six employees onboard for the short journey to the edge of space. VMS Eve, the carrier aircraft, launched at 11:15 a.m. ET, transporting the company’s VSS Unity spacecraft up to an altitude of about 44,500 feet.
Virgin Galactic officially announced this week that ticket sales has opened to the general public starting today, and the company plans to have their 1,000 customers on board at the start of commercial service later in 2022. Each reservation also includes access to the Future Astronaut membership community where members can enjoy access to priceless experiences, events, trips and space-readiness activities while awaiting their trip.
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. announced today that the VSS Unity successfully reached space, completing the company’s fourth rocket-powered and their first fully crewed spaceflight, including founder Sir Richard Branson. This enabled the company to evaluate cabin a/ customer experience, including evaluating the commercial customer cabin, the views of Earth from the edge of space, and the effectiveness of the five-day pre-flight training program at Spaceport America.
Virgin Galactic Holdings officially announced that the flight window for Unity 22, their next rocket-powered test flight of its SpaceShipTwo Unity opens July 11. If weather and technical checks cooperate, it will mark the twenty-second flight test for VSS Unity and the company’s first fully crewed spaceflight, consisting of two pilots and four mission specialists in the cabin, including Sir Richard Branson, who will be testing the private astronaut experience. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Virgin Galactic has just announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) approved the company’s existing commercial space transportation operator license to allow the spaceline to fly customers to space. This came after an extensive review of data gathered from its successful May 22 test flight. Read more for a news segment and additional information.
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. has successfully completed its third spaceflight and the first ever spaceflight from Spaceport America, New Mexico, making it the third US state to launch humans into space. VSS Unity achieved a top speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve, and reached space at an altitude of 55.45 miles before smoothly gliding smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America.
Virgin Galactic just revealed their first SpaceShip III, the VSS Imagine. It will begin ground testing, with glide flights planned for this summer from Spaceport America in New Mexico. Imagine features a new livery design, finished entirely with a mirror-like material that reflects the surrounding environment, making it appear as if it’s constantly changing color as it travels from earth to space.
Virgin Orbit, a California-based satellite launch company, announced that its LauncherOne rocket has successfully reached space during its second launch demonstration today. This also confirms that it has successfully deployed 10 payloads for NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP). Unlike other launch systems, Virgin Orbit uses a technique called air launch, in which a rocket is launched from under the wing of a jet aircraft, rather than from a traditional launch pad on the ground. Read more for two videos and additional information.