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Virgin Galactic launches its first commercial spaceflight for $450,000 a seat; And they are selling fast
21 Jun, 2023 / 09:50 am / OMNES Media LLC

Source: http://www.mashable.com

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Mashable: If you really have $450,000 to spare and a dream of seeing the Earth from above, well you can now book your ticket with Virgin Galactic soon.

The space tourism company, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, announced that it will launch its first commercial spaceflight later this month, between June 27 and 30, depending on the weather.

As already reported, the first flight called "Galactic 01", will carry three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy, who will conduct scientific experiments in microgravity. They will also get to enjoy the stunning views of our planet and the feeling of floating in space for a few minutes.

The flight will take off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Virgin Galactic has its headquarters and launch site. The passengers will board a six-seat, two-pilot spaceship called VSS Unity, which will be attached to a carrier plane called VMS Eve.

The plane will lift the spaceship to an altitude of about 50,000 feet, where it will detach and fire its rocket engine. The spaceship will then zoom to the edge of space, reaching an altitude of more than 55 miles (about 300,000 feet) and a speed of over Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound).

From here on, the passengers will be able to unfasten their seatbelts and experience weightlessness for several minutes. They will also be able to gaze at the curvature of the Earth and the blackness of space through one of the 17 windows on board.

The spaceship will then glide back to Earth and land on a runway, completing a trip that will last about 90 minutes in total.

Virgin Galactic has already scheduled a second commercial flight for August, called "Galactic 02". The company has also sold hundreds of tickets to future customers, who have paid deposits ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.

Before flying to space, the passengers will have to fill out a medical questionnaire and undergo some checkups. They will also have the option to participate in weeks of training, which will include simulations of weightlessness, G-forces, emergency procedures and more.

Virgin Galactic has been testing its spaceship since 2016, with five successful flights so far. The most recent one was in May this year, when VSS Unity reached an altitude of 55.5 miles.

The company's goal is to make space accessible and affordable for more people. Branson has said that he hopes to fly to space himself later this year, beating his rival Jeff Bezos, who plans to launch with his own company Blue Origin on July 20.