One of the biggest days in the history of Sir Richard Branson‘s space firm Virgin Galactic is nearly here – the first flight for a paying ‘space tourist’.
The ‘Galactic 02’ mission will send a crew of six into orbit – including three tourists – aboard the VSS Unity spaceplane when it blasts off from New Mexico on Thursday.
If successful, it will herald a huge step in the era of space tourism – where the rich pay thousands of dollars for trips into orbit for recreational purposes.
Hundreds of tickets to space have been snapped up since they were put on sale by the firm over a decade ago – with some paying up to $450,000 for the ride.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Galactic 02 historic launch, including who exactly is on board, when it takes place and how you can watch it.
‘Galactic 02’, to blast off from New Mexico on Thursday, will carry a crew of six people into orbit, including three ‘space tourists’
Unlike NASA’s launches, which are typically vertical, Virgin Galactic releases a spaceplane called VSS Unity (pictured) from a carrier aircraft
WHAT IS GALACTIC 02?
Galactic 02 is the next crewed flight into orbit operated by Richard Branson’s space firm Virgin Galactic.
It follows the firm’s final test flight in May when it sent a crew of four company employees more than 50 miles above Earth and its first commercial flight, Galactic 01, the following month.
Galactic 01 was dubbed the firm’s first commercial flight, but it carried astronauts from the Italian Air Force and the Italian National Research Council.
Galactic 02, in comparison, will mark the first to carry someone who has actually paid for their ticket.
So Galactic 02 means customers who have splashed out hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trip to space are finally going to get what they paid for.
WHO IS ON BOARD GALACTIC 02?
Galactic 02 will have six people on board, including three Virgin Galactic employees – Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Kelly Latimer, and Astronaut instructor Beth Moses.
One of the three tourists is retired British Olympian Jon Goodwin, the first Olympian to travel to space, having competed in the 1972 Munich Games as a slalom canoeist.
British Olympian Jon Goodwin (centre) joins mother and daughter Keisha Schahaff (right) and Anastatia Mayers (left) as the three tourists on VSS Unity this week
Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-old daughter Anastasia Mayers, will be the first mother and daughter ever to make a trip to space after winning two coveted places
After entering a lottery for the Virgin Galactic flights, Keisha received a surprise visit from Richard Branson
Jon Godwin spent his life as a daredevil, winning races in the Arctic Circle and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014
Goodwin, 80 – who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014 – receives his trip 18 years after reportedly spending $250,000 (£194,500) to secure his seat.
Since his diagnosis he has been dedicated to raising awareness for Parkinson’s and the importance of research into finding a cure – and hopes that taking part in this mission will help shine a spotlight on the condition.
The other two tourists making up the team are mother-daughter duo from Antigua, Keisha Schahaff and Anastasia Mayers.
Mother Keisha won a sweepstakes with Omaze, a US for-profit fundraising company, for the once-in-a-lifetime commercial trip.
Daughter Anastasia is studying philosophy and physics at Aberdeen University and wants to become an astrobiologist.
At 18, she will be the second youngest person to travel to space, following Oliver Daemen, who flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket at 18 in July 2021.
WHEN WILL GALACTIC 02 BLAST OFF?
A launch window for Galactic 02 will open on Thursday, August 10, Virgin Galactic announced last month.
Although the company has not confirmed a specific time, it says its livestream of the event will commence at 9am local time (11am EDT or 4pm BST).
Virgin Galactic says its livestream of the event will commence at 9am local time (11am EDT or 4pm BST)
VSS Unity (pictured) is Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane used for commercial space flights. It first reached space as defined by the US (above 50 miles) in December 2018
WHERE WILL THE LAUNCH TAKE PLACE?
The VSS Unity spaceplane will take off from Spaceport America, around 45 miles north of Las Cruces in New Mexico, USA.
Just like any launch, the event should draw locals and tourists from far and wide who compete for the perfect snap to share on social media.
Spaceport America was the location of the Galactic 01 launch, although the first rocket launch at the site occurred in September 2006.
HOW CAN I WATCH THE LAUNCH?
Virgin Galactic’s livestream of the mission will be live on the company’s website and YouTube channel.
On YouTube, fans can already bookmark the livestream before it starts and be notified of any updates.
HOW DOES VSS UNITY LAUNCH?
Virgin Galactic’s launch method is different from SpaceX and Blue Origin, which perform classic vertical rocket launches much like NASA.
Virgin Galactic uses a carrier aircraft called White Knight Two with two pilots who take off from a runway and then gain high altitude.
This still image from a Virgin Galactic video shows the Galactic 01 mission spacecraft returning to Earth in June 2023
When at just under 10 miles high (50,000 feet), White Knight Two releases its rocket-powered crewed spaceplane VSS Unity, which ignites its rocket motor and soars even higher.
VSS Unity is able to reach the boundary of space as defined by the US Air Force and NASA by going over 50 miles (80.5 km) above sea level.
However, it is unable to go above the Kármán line, the space boundary of 62.1 miles (100km), as defined by international record-keeping body the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
The plane shuts off once it reaches its highest point, providing passengers with silence, weightlessness and an aerial view of Earth.
Once the rocket motor shuts down, passengers can unbuckle their seatbelts and enjoy the weightless feeling of zero gravity.
The spaceship has 17 windows, providing ‘an incredible view of planet Earth’ for passengers as they float by for a few precious minutes.
Once VSS Unity has re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it glides back to the runway it took off from, giving passengers ‘a smooth and comfortable end to their thrilling ride’, the company says.
Virgin Galactic’s passenger rocket plane VSS Unity is towed to the hangar after billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and his crew, reached the edge of space, at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, July 11, 2021
Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity is pictured with two carrier aircraft either side of it as it departs Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California, in February 2020
The spaceship has 17 windows, providing ‘an incredible view of planet Earth’ for passengers as they float by for a few precious minutes
HAS VIRGIN GALACTIC CONDUCTED FLIGHTS BEFORE?
Virgin Galactic, founded in 2004, conducted its first successful flight to space in December 2018 with VSS Unity.
The spaceplane, which was manned with two pilots, reached outer space for first time (according to the US definition of the space border).
Richard Branson himself made the same trip along with five crewmates in July 2021 – which the founder called an ‘experience of a lifetime’.
The flamboyant billionaire, who was 70 at the time, became the second oldest person to travel to space after 77-year-old John Glenn in 1998.
That same year, federal aviation authorities banned Virgin Galactic launches after Branson’s flight led to an investigation.
The spaceplane veered off course during its descent back to the runway in the New Mexico desert, although the firm was later cleared.
Branson delivering a message from space aboard SpaceShip Two Unity 22 during their flight after take off from Spaceport America in July 2021
Virgin Galactic’s first commercial spaceflight comes almost two years after founder Richard Branson (left) soared to the final frontier in a test flight
Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, is hoping to finally get the nascent space tourism industry off the ground
WHO ELSE HAS PAID FOR FLIGHTS?
2023 marks the start of commercial flights, customers will finally get what they paid for, although at up to $450,000 a ticket, the experience is at the moment limited to the very rich.
According to Business Insider, some of the famous stars who are due to fly on VSS Unity are Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Russell Brand, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, and Ashton Kutcher.
Some of Virgin Galactic’s ticket holders have been waiting over 14 years for their trip, according to Reuters.
WHEN IS THE NEXT VIRGIN GALACTIC FLIGHT?
Virgin Galactic plans monthly flights to space after the Galactic 02 launch to ensure paying customers get their reward as soon as possible.
However, there’s a chance they could be delayed, depending on the success of Thursday’s mission.
The firm is yet to reveal who will fly on Galactic 03 or when exactly it will happen.
