After a successful sub-orbital test flight four-and-a-half years ago, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is now prepared to commence its commercial operations. On Thursday, a six-man crew, including three Italian researchers, will embark on an up-and-down flight to the edge of space aboard the company’s winged spaceplane. The mission has been dubbed “The Spaceline for Earth” and marks Virgin Galactic’s first scientific research endeavor. Through more than a dozen experiments conducted in space, the crew will explore the effects of microgravity on the human body and other materials.
The flight, chartered by the Italian government, will not include any wealthy “space tourists.” However, just ten days ago, a commercial submersible tragically imploded in the Atlantic Ocean while descending to the wreckage of the Titanic, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers. The impact of this incident on the commercial space tourism market is yet to be determined but highlights the inherent risks associated with extreme adventures.
Compared to Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft, which already offers commercial sub-orbital flights, Virgin Galactic intends to offer a steady series of similar flights following Thursday’s mission. This particular flight, departing from Spaceport America in New Mexico, signifies Virgin’s sixth piloted sub-orbital mission and its first with paying passengers. The company recently completed significant upgrades to its twin-fuselage VMS Eve carrier jet, which successfully completed a space flight on May 25, the first in two years, with six company employees on board.
The flight plan for Thursday’s launch involves the Eve carrier jet lifting VSS Unity to an altitude of approximately 45,000 feet. Shortly after being released from the wing of Eve, the spacecraft’s hybrid rocket engine will ignite, propelling it beyond the dense lower atmosphere. The crew will consist of experienced Virgin pilot Mike Masucci and co-pilot Nicola Pecile, an Italian making his inaugural flight. Accompanying them will be veteran Virgin astronaut trainer Colin Bennett, Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi, and Pantaleone Carlucci representing Italy’s National Research Council.
Villadei will act as the commander of the “Virtute 1” mission aboard the spaceplane. He is currently training to visit the International Space Station as part of a commercial crew launched by SpaceX for Houston-based Axiom Space. Villadei, Landolfi, and Carlucci will double as microgravity researchers and test subjects in various experiments focused on studying the effects of weightlessness. Virgin Galactic has not disclosed the cost of their three seats, but the company’s advertised price is $450,000 per ticket.
CEO Michael Colglazier expressed confidence that Virgin Galactic’s research missions will open up new possibilities for government and research institutions to access space reliably and repeatedly. After the ship’s rocket engine shuts down, the crew will experience weightlessness for approximately three to four minutes as the ship ascends to a maximum altitude of just over 50 miles, the designated boundary of space. To facilitate re-entry and descent, Virgin’s air-launched spaceplane features wings that pivot upward by 60 degrees near the top of its trajectory in a technique known as “feathering.” This mechanism helps slow and orient the ship without pilot intervention.
Upon re-entering the discernible atmosphere, the wings return to a parallel position with the fuselage, transforming the ship into a glider. Masucci and Pecile will guide it to a touchdown on the 12,000-foot-long runway at Spaceport America. The entire journey, from takeoff to landing, is expected to take approximately one hour.
Bill Harwood, a renowned journalist, covering the U.S. space program since 1984, will provide comprehensive coverage of this significant mission. Harwood has an extensive background in reporting on space missions, including space shuttle missions, interplanetary flights, and commercial and military launches. He is also an avid amateur astronomer and co-author of the book “Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
