Virgin Galactic: Last Test Flight Before Public Opening

Virgin Galactic announced today that they will conduct their final test flight at the end of May before their commercial launch at the end of June.

Would you be tempted to take a trip to space as a tourist? That is certainly what Virgin Galactic will offer at the end of June 2023 for the modest sum of 450,000 euros. The British company, chaired by Sir Richard Branson, will offer some lucky individuals the opportunity to travel into space as tourists.

Approval of the Federal Aviation Administration’s commercial license enabled a test flight in 2021. Virgin Galactic will perform its 25th flight and 5th space flight at the end of the month.

However, before the commercial flights, Virgin Galactic will conduct a test flight at the end of May. The astronauts of the “Unity 25” mission will verify the proper functioning of all the device’s components. Two men and two women will be on board: Beth Moses, Luke Mays, Jamila Gilbert, and Christopher Huie.

How does space travel work?

Four pilots, with a combined total of 33,200 flight hours, will also oversee this project. Their mission will be to safely bring the astronauts into space and return them to Earth. A monumental but necessary task, to ensure that future Virgin Galactic astronauts arrive on the ground safe and sound.

The company will offer some travelers the chance to experience space onboard an aircraft starting from the end of June. This will happen in nine stages, providing great excitement for those on board. These are described in the image below:

You will notice that step 4 is the weightlessness phase. The astronaut will feel as light as a bird while experiencing the free-fall effect. This will likely give some a new perspective, who will see Earth as a fragile object that needs protection…

Virgin Galactic is not the only emerging space tourism company. Notably, Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos) and SpaceX (Elon Musk) are working on creating reusable components on their rockets. With multiple American companies in the market, is space the next tourist destination to conquer?

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