Friday, August 11, 2023
Virgin Galactic launched its first tourist passengers into the weightlessness of space Thursday, the culmination of a nearly two–decade commercial pursuit, the company stated.
The three passengers – Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, and her teenage daughter Anastasia Mayers – floated gravity–free through the Virgin spacecraft about 45 minutes after taking off.
Virgin Galactic announcer Sirisha Bandla stated that they are officially astronauts. and as the spacecraft pushed above 80 kilometers (50 miles) in altitude, the level marking the edge of space where the pull of gravity is minimal.
Thursday’s long–awaited flight was the culmination of a nearly two–decade old promise by British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic’s founder, to bring tourists into space, giving them the chance to experience weightlessness and see Earth from afar.
The spaceflights involve a giant, twin–fuselage carrier aircraft that takes off from a runway, gains altitude, then drops a rocket–powered spaceplane that soars higher.
This mission, named Galactic 02, is the company’s second commercial flight.
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