Virgin Galactic, led by Richard Branson, has announced that its first group of space tourists will be launched on August 10. This mission, known as Galactic 02, will involve three customers who paid either $250,000 or $450,000, with the latter price being implemented this year. The crew, who have yet to be named, will board the company’s spaceplane, which will be attached to a larger carrier plane. Once the carrier plane reaches at least 45,000 feet, the rocket plane will separate and travel more than 50 miles above the Earth’s surface.
Virgin Galactic has already received bookings from 800 customers eagerly awaiting their chance to go to space, thanks to the success of the company’s inaugural mission in June. The flight manifest, including the crew and pilots, will be released at a later date and the launch will be live-streamed.
This upcoming mission follows the successful first-mission known as Galactic-01, which had a three-member crew and marked a significant breakthrough for the company. The 90-minute mission took place in New Mexico’s Spaceport America, and August’s mission is expected to follow a similar trajectory.
The rocket plane, called Unity, will be attached to the carrier aircraft VMS Eve. After reaching a high altitude, Unity will ignite its thrusters and enter space. During the flight, Unity’s wings will open to allow for weightlessness and breathtaking views of space.
The focus of the Galactic 01 mission was to carry out 13 experiments in zero gravity, collecting biometric data and studying cognitive performance and liquid/solid interactions under microgravity conditions.
Richard Branson’s approach to space travel, using mid-air launches instead of rockets, has a rich history in flight research, with notable examples like the X-1 and X-15 aircraft. This approach significantly reduces the reliance on fuel since the craft does not need to overcome the dense lower atmosphere using rocket force.
In July 2021, Richard Branson made headlines as he became the first billionaire to travel to space on the VSS Unity. Onboard the maiden voyage were six Virgin Galactic employees. However, shortly after the flight, the spaceplane was grounded due to an investigation into an off-course deviation during its descent in the New Mexico desert.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated an investigation into the incident, finding that the spaceplane had deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance for approximately a minute and 41 seconds.
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