RICHARD BRANSON SPACESHIP FULL

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity launches billionaire Richard Branson and a crew of five others to suborbital space and back in a flight from Spaceport America, New Mexico on July 11, 2021. Related: What to know about Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Unity 22 launch (Ticket prices remain high at $250,000 a seat, although Virgin Galactic announced a contest to bring two members of the public into space in 2022.) Now, I'm among them in a spaceship,' said Branson, a billionaire who founded Virgin Galactic in 2004 to open up private spaceflight to more people while giving himself the chance to become an astronaut, too. 'To all you kids down there, I once was a child with a dream looking up to the stars. The 70-year-old Branson peers out the window in the video, then gives a small speech reflecting upon the nearly 52-year wait he had to be an astronaut since watching the Apollo 11 astronauts land on the moon in 1969. All Virgin Galactic spaceflights to date have been below the Kármán line, but above the 50-mile mark. military, NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (which together, recognize a boundary at 50 miles or 80 km in altitude) or the internationally recognized Kármán line at 62 miles or 100 km. We will now embark on a handful of similar powered flight tests, and then make our first test flight to space.Of the group, only Moses had been to space before, during a 2019 flight, although the definition of space can vary depending on if you consult the U.S. 'The successful outcome of this test marks a pivotal point for our program. 'The rocket motor ignition went as planned, with the expected burn duration, good engine performance and solid vehicle handling qualities throughout,' said Virgin Galactic President & CEO George Whitesides. No date has been set for the first commercial flight from a custom-designed spaceport in New Mexico, but Virgin Galactic executives have said it will come after testing is complete and it secures approval from the government. Sir Richard initially predicted commercial flights would begin in 2007, but a deadly explosion during ground testing and longer-than-expected test flights pushed the deadline back. Since the historic flight, more than 500 aspiring space tourists have paid $200,000 or placed deposits, waiting for a chance to float in weightlessness and view the Earth's curvature from 62 miles up. SpaceShipTwo is the commercial version of SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 became the first private manned rocket to reach space. We saw history in the making today and I couldn't be more proud of everyone involved.'

RICHARD BRANSON SPACESHIP FULL

Today's supersonic success opens the way for a rapid expansion of the spaceship's powered flight envelope, with a very realistic goal of full space flight by the year's end. 'For the first time, we were able to prove the key components of the system, fully integrated and in flight. 'The first powered flight of Virgin Spaceship Enterprise was without any doubt, our single most important flight test to date,' said Virgin Galactic Founder Sir Richard, who was on the ground in Mojave to witness the occasion.

Several powered flights are planned this summer, culminating with a dash into space targeted toward the end of the year. Until now, SpaceShipTwo has only performed unpowered glide flights. The jet released SpaceShipTwo, which ignited its engine for 16 seconds, then glided to a safe landing. While SpaceShipTwo did not break out of the atmosphere during the test flight, it marked a significant milestone for Virgin Galactic, which is planning to take passengers on suborbital joyrides.ĭuring the early morning flight, SpaceShipTwo, strapped beneath a twin-fuselage jet, took off from an airport runway in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles. A spaceship sponsored by Sir Richard Branson has made its first powered flight in a test that moves Virgin Galactic toward its goal of flying into space later this year.

Richard branson spaceship