VIRGIN Galactic has sent its first paying clients into space.
The company’s first commercial trip, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, is a research mission with passengers paid for by the Italian Air Force and successfully launched on Thursday.
The trip unfolded in phases. It all started at Virgin Galactic’s spaceport in New Mexico, where passengers board the VSS Unity which is connected beneath the wing of a gigantic twin-fuselage mothership named VMS Eve.
VMS Eve then took off at 10.30am EST, barreling down a runway before ascending to more than 40,000 feet.
IThe VSS Unity was then released at 11.30am ET after reaching its assigned altitude and firing its rocket engine for around one minute as swooping directly upward, vaulting for the stars successfully.
Future Virgin Galactic flights are planned to feature a variety of high-profile clients. Tickets initially started at $200,000 a seat, but are now averaging $450,000.
Follow our Virgin Galactic launch blog for news and live updates…
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What happened at the launch
The mission took out from Spaceport America near the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on Thursday.
The business recently completed a protracted overhaul of its twin-fuselage VMS Eve carrier aircraft, completing its first successful space mission in two years on May 25 with six company personnel on board.
The Eve carrier jet transported VSS Unity to an altitude of roughly 45,000 feet for Thursday’s launch.
The spacecraft’s hybrid rocket engine will ignite seconds after being released from Eve’s wing, pushing the ship up and out of the dense lower atmosphere.
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‘A good experience’
Villadei described the acceleration of Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft, which applies three Gs of force to passengers, as “a good experience” for preparing to launch on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which applies four to five Gs of force.
He is preparing for a launch on a future SpaceX mission with the American company Axiom Space.
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On the prototype spacesuit they wore
“I am very proud to dress in this suit,” Villadei said about the space suit the crew wore to space today.
He described it as a “smart suit” that is fire-resistant and magnetic. It is also not sweat-absorbent.
Villadei told the press that he also proposed making a few more improvements to the suit.
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Research is ‘really beneficial’
According to Villadei, the worldwide community has “nothing in between” flying on aircraft for parabolic flights and traveling to the ISS for six months for microgravity flight options.
He stressed how Virgin Galactic “can really support” and be “really beneficial to us” in doing this sort of study.
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Significant items on board by Col Walter Villadei
Col Walter Villadei said that he brought with him: “I brought a few pictures of my daughters when they were much smaller a few years ago and then a wedding picture of me and my wife from a few years ago.”
He also added that he brought along some items given to him by his daughter.
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‘A beautiful ride’
Colonel Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force describes the trip up to the release location as “beautiful.”
The microgravity experience was “very fast,” yet the trip overall was “an unforgettable experience.”
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Addressing the press today
The four passengers from the flight are speaking to the press right now.
They are:
- Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor Colin Bennett
- Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei
- Italian Air Force Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi
- National Research Council of Italy engineer Pantaleone Carlucci
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Press conference to begin now
Virgin Galactic is about to hold a press conference with the Galactic 01 crew following the voyage.
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Jeff Bezos on going to space
Bezos and Mark posted a video to his Instagram explaining the reason for the journey, saying: “I want to go on this flight because it’s the thing I’ve wanted to do all my life.”
Mark chimed in saying: “I wasn’t even expecting him to say that he was going to be on the first flight.
“What a remarkable opportunity, not only to have this adventure but to do it with my best friend.”
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What does the Blue Origin spaceship look like?
Bezos and his brother Mark traveled on the New Shephard, a reusable rocket with an attached capsule.
It is high enough to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the planet before the pressurized capsule returns to Earth under parachutes.
The capsule features six observation windows Blue Origin says are nearly three times as tall as those on a Boeing 747 jetliner and the largest ever used in space.
“The view will be spectacular,” Blue Origin’s Director of Astronaut Sales, Ariane Cornell, previously told a media briefing.
The reusable New Shepard booster launched and landed in West Texas.
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Blue Origin explained
Blue Origin is an American privately-funded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services founded by Jeff Bezos.
The businessman founded the company in 2000, with Bob Smith serving as the CEO.
The company is headquartered in Kent, Washington, and employs over 3,500 people.
Blue Origin aims to make access to space cheaper and more reliable through reusable launch vehicles.
The company’s name refers to the blue planet, Earth, as the point of origin.
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Sub-orbital flights
Blue Origin, which is controlled by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, already conducts commercial sub-orbital flights aboard its New Shepard spacecraft.
Virgin anticipates a regular stream of comparable flights after Thursday’s voyage.
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Aircraft and crew have landed safely
The vehicle has landed and is beginning to slow down after having made its descent.
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Double-sonic boom
VSS Unity is beginning the process of re-entry and spectators will hear a “double-sonic boom” when that occurs.
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Passengers hold up Italian flag
The Italian Air Force is celebrating their centennial on this historic day as Pantaleone Carlucci, Colin Bennett, Col. Walter Villadei, and Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi experience zero gravity.
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On VSS Unity
VSS Unity, Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, is The Spaceship Company’s first SpaceShipTwo.
The ship’s name was revealed on February 19, 2016.
Prior to the naming ceremony, the craft was known as SpaceShipTwo, Serial Number Two.
In 2004, there was speculation that Serial Number Two might be christened VSS Voyager, an unofficial moniker that was used frequently in media coverage.
Stephen Hawking, a British scientist, chose the name Unity.
Hawking’s eye also serves as the inspiration for the eye emblem on the side of Unity.
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‘Good control’
VSS Unity is airborne.
It is traveling at Mach 2 right now.
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A look at the outside at 20s from release
There are about 20 seconds to the release of VSS unity.
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Interior of aircraft
The crew can be seen sitting inside the aircraft.
Live from the Virgin Galactic launchCredit: Virgin Galactic -
Get to know the people on board: Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi
Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi is a physician who will be aboard the spacecraft to assess cognitive function in microgravity.
He will also investigate how different liquids and solids combine in microgravity.
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Get to know the people on board: Col. Walter Villadei
Colonel Walter Villadei is in command of “Virtute 1.”
Villadei will be in charge of the rack-mounted payloads that will be employed in the project.
In addition, he will be wearing a smart suit that will collect biometric data and physiological reactions.
He will also be in charge of carrying out the research.
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Get to know the people on board: Colin Bennett
Colin Bennett is a Virgin Galactic Astronaut Instructor.
He oversaw all training and preparation for the rest of the team.
During the trip, he will be onboard to investigate the flying experience.
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Get to know the people on board: Pantaleone Carlucci
Pantaleone Carlucci works at the Italian National Research Council as an engineer.
He will be performing research on heart rate, brain function, and other parameters in microgravity and during spaceflight.
Carlucci will wear sensors to assist in this research.
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VMS Eve
VMS Eve is a Virgin Galactic carrier mothership and launch platform for SpaceShipTwo-based Virgin SpaceShips.
Scaled Composites manufactured the VMS Eve for Virgin Galactic.
The prefix “VMS” stands for “Virgin MotherShip.”
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‘Everything is looking great’
The aircraft is at 45,000 feet now where they are preparing for the release of the ship.
