Virgin Galactic Completes Its First Commercial Spaceflight

What is Virgin Galactic?

Virgin Galactic is a company that takes people to space. It was started in 2004 by Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Group. The company’s main office is in California, USA, but it operates flights from New Mexico (another US state). Virgin Galactic is the world's first commercial spaceline.

The company's goal is to give more people the chance to go to space. They also want to inspire young people about outer space.

Recently, on 29th June 2023, Virgin Galactic conducted its first commercial spaceflight (wow!). The Galactic 01 mission crew safely returned to Earth onboard the Virgin Space Ship (VSS) Unity after a successful spaceflight.

What do we know about this spaceflight?

The Galactic 01 mission used two special vehicles: the Virgin MotherShip (VMS) Eve and the spacecraft called VSS Unity. VMS Eve lifted off from New Mexico, carrying the spacecraft VSS Unity. After going up to about 44,500 feet, VMS Eve released the VSS Unity.

Then, VSS Unity used its rockets to travel to suborbital space. The 90-minute flight was a success, and it safely landed back on Earth. The crew of VSS Unity included two astronauts from the Italian Air Force, an engineer-astronaut from the Italian National Research Council, and an astronaut instructor from Virgin Galactic.

The VSS Unity spacecraft was flown by a retired commander from the American Air Force and a former pilot from the Italian Air Force. The VMS Eve was flown by a retired commander from the American Air Force and a retired pilot from the Canadian Air Force. The crew experienced a few minutes of weightlessness (floating around like astronauts) and unfurled the Italian flag.

What was the objective of the Galactic 01 mission?

The VSS Unity spaceship carried 13 special projects for scientific research. During Virgin Galactic's first commercial spaceflight, they focused on doing different studies. These projects are related to things like new sustainable materials, etc.

What’s next for Virgin Galactic and its private spaceflights?

The company thinks this successful mission is the start of private space travel. They are hopeful that they can now take hundreds of people to space.

Virgin Galactic has announced its second commercial spaceflight, called Galactic 02, which will happen in early August 2023. They have plans to continue with monthly spaceflights after that. The company has already sold more than 800 seats for these flights. They aim to conduct about 400 flights every year.

So, would you like to visit space on one such flight? Please tell us in the comments section.