virgin galactic space tourism flight

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Virgin Galactic launches its first space tourist flight, stepping up commercial operations

By William Harwood

Updated on: August 10, 2023 / 1:06 PM EDT / CBS News

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic picked up the pace in the space tourism marketplace with the launch Thursday of its VSS Unity rocketplane carrying an 80-year-old former British Olympian and a mother and daughter from Antigua and Barbuda who won their tickets to fly through a fundraising lottery for the nonprofit Space for Humanity.

Jon Goodwin, an Olympian canoeist in the 1972 Munich games, health and wellness coach Keisha Schahaff and her daughter Anastatia Mayers, a physics and philosophy student at Aberdeen University, were joined by Virgin Galactic commander C.J. Stuckow, pilot Kelly Latimer and chief astronaut trainer Beth Moses for the up-and-down sub-orbital spaceflight.

Schahaff and Mayers are the first mother and daughter to fly in space together and the first representing the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies.

"That was like the most amazing thing I've ever done!" Schahaff said after landing. "Antigua went to space! A childhood dream has come true. I've been to space and back with my daughter. We're making history, and this is just beautiful. The pilots, everyone, they delivered exactly what they said it would be. And if anyone was wondering, Earth is round!"

Said Mayers: "I have no words. The only thought I had the entire time was wow, that's how I can sum up the experience. Just wow."

Judging by live-streamed views from inside the spacecraft as it reached a maximum altitude of nearly 55 miles — nearly five miles above the 50-mile altitude NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration recognize as the "boundary" of space — the passengers were clearly thrilled by the view and the few minutes of weightlessness they experienced.

It was Sturckow's record eighth flight to space — four aboard the space shuttle and now four at the controls of Virgin's spaceplane — while Moses, Virgin's chief astronaut instructor, took her fourth trip aloft aboard Unity. Latimer, Virgin's first female spaceplane pilot, took her first ride, as did the three passengers.

The flight marked a major milestone for Virgin owner Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur and adventurer whose team has been struggling for years to transition from test flights to commercial passenger service, offering brief sojourns in weightlessness for those willing to pay $450,000 for a ticket to ride.

"The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible," Schahaff said in a pre-flight statement. "I know I will be changed by my experience, and I hope I will be able to share that energy and inspire the people around me in my role as a life coach, a mother and as an ambassador for our beautiful planet."

Schahaff and Mayers won their tickets through a lottery benefiting Space for Humanity, a nonprofit founded by philanthropist and space entrepreneur Dylan Taylor that is devoted to "expanding access to space for all of humanity." Branson personally delivered the tickets.

Goodwin, who bought his ticket to fly in 2005 — the fourth person to reserve a flight — was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014. But that did not deter him or Virgin Galactic.

"That was by far the most awesome thing I've ever done in my life," Goodwin said after landing. "The thing that surprised me more than everything else was the beauty of the Earth from space. It is completely surreal. I've got some fast cars, but that acceleration was just unbelievable. Thank you Virgin Galactic. It's been 20 years for the wait. But it's been worth every moment of it. Thank you."

With the Unity space plane strapped to the wing of Virgin's twin-fuselage VMS Eve carrier jet, the flight got underway at about 11 a.m. EDT, taking off from Spaceport America's 12,000-foot runway in the New Mexico desert near White Sands Missile Range.

After climbing to an altitude of about 45,000 feet, Unity was released, dropping like a bomb from the carrier jet's wing. Seconds later its hybrid rocket motor ignited, propelling the ship up on a near-vertical climb out of the dense lower atmosphere.

Reaching a velocity of about three times the speed of sound, the rocket motor shut down and the crew was suddenly weightless. Unity continued upward, coasting to a maximum altitude of 54.9 miles.

As they climbed, arced over the top of the trajectory and began descending, Schahaff, Mayers, Goodwin and Moses were able to unstrap and float about the cabin if they wished — the pilots remained strapped in throughout — taking in spectacular views of Earth and space.

Then, with Unity's wings "feathered," that is, swept up about 60 degrees to increase atmospheric drag and slow the descent, the spacecraft plunged back into the discernible atmosphere. The wings then were rotated back to their more traditional orientation and the pilots guided Unity, now flying as a glider, back to touchdown at Spaceport America.

The flight was Virgin's second commercial mission, following on the heels of a flight June 29 that carried  three Italian air force researchers , two Virgin pilots and a company engineer to an altitude of nearly 53 miles.

That flight was chartered by the Italian government while Thursday's flight was the first with "private astronauts." Virgin officials say some 800 applicants are on the waiting list to fly aboard the company's spaceplane.

Blue Origin, owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has offered commercial sub-orbital flights aboard its New Shepard spacecraft since 2021, but the company is currently grounded amid work to resolve a booster problem that derailed an unpiloted research mission last year.

Thursday's flight was Virgin's seventh piloted sub-orbital mission since an initial test flight on December 13, 2018. After two more test flights,  Branson and a crew of six  completed the company's fourth space flight on July 11, 2021, climbing to an altitude of 53 miles.

After standing down to upgrade the Eve carrier jet, Virgin launched a fifth piloted test flight with six company employees on May 25, followed by the Italian research mission on June 29. Virgin plans to eventually ramp up to a flight per month.

• Virgin Galactic
• Richard Branson

Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News.

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Virgin Galactic conducts first space tourist suborbital flight

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The Galactic 02 mission was the second commercial spaceflight for Virgin Galactic after the Galactic 01 mission June 29 . That was a research flight for the Italian Air Force that carried three people from the Italian Air Force and Italy’s National Research Council, conducting more than a dozen instruments.

Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science... More by Jeff Foust

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Dream of going to space? Virgin Galactic just launched commercial flights

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For years, British billionaire Richard Branson vowed that commercial spaceflights with his firm Virgin Galactic were just around the corner.

On Thursday, that hype finally became reality when three Italian researchers boarded the VSS Unity space plane as Virgin Galactic’s first paying passengers and flew about four minutes in suborbital space.

The researchers — Col. Walter Villadei and Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi of the Italian Air Force and Pantaleone Carlucci, an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy — spent their precious minutes in microgravity conducting scientific research on topics including cognitive performance and physiological responses in space.

The carrier aircraft and the attached VSS Unity space plane took off from the Spaceport America launch site around 7:30 a.m. Pacific time near Truth and Consequences, N.M., and climbed to an altitude of about 45,000 feet. By 8:30 a.m., the carrier aircraft had released the space plane, which rocketed to the edge of space.

A livestream of the flight showed the researchers strapped into their seats as they traveled at Mach 2, with one researcher puffing out his breath in visible O’s. At 8:31 a.m., the space plane’s motor cut off and the researchers were free to move around. Villadei was the only researcher to get out of his seat, and he propelled himself to the back of the craft, where he tended to experiments on a stationary rack. The other two researchers stayed in their seats, hurriedly looking at their tablets.

They all took a momentary break to unfurl an Italian flag and give the onboard camera a grin or thumbs-up.

Virgin Galactic will start selling tickets to space — have your $150,000 deposit ready

A 90-minute flight on Virgin Galactic will cost $450,000. Ticket sales open to the general public Wednesday.

Feb. 15, 2022

“I was concentrating on my test, my knee board, but I had the opportunity to look out,” said Carlucci, the engineer. “Speechless.”

By 8:35 a.m., everyone was back in their seats. The craft touched down back in New Mexico around 8:42 a.m.

Prior to Thursday’s flight, only Branson and Virgin Galactic employees had flown aboard the space plane . As of last year, the company had received reservations for nearly 800 tickets and collected $103.3 million in deposits and membership fees from “future astronauts,” according to Virgin Galactic’s most recent annual report.

A seat on Virgin Galactic’s space plane now costs $450,000, up from the initial price of $200,000 that early enthusiasts paid.

Thursday’s first commercial flight is a milestone for the company and for the space tourism market as a whole, said Alan Ladwig, a former NASA executive and author of the space travel book “See You in Orbit? Our Dream of Spaceflight.” But it doesn’t indicate that routine trips to space are just around the corner.

“When you’re in the $450,000 price range for a suborbital flight ... you’re a few years away from a mass market,” he said. “The milestones ahead are when’s the next flight, how often can they get a rhythm and schedule that can be predicted and counted on.”

Thursday’s mission high above the New Mexico desert showcased a part of the space tourism market not often discussed — research flights.

Although space tourism is more commonly associated with wealthy passengers achieving lifelong dreams of spaceflight, companies like Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have also touted suborbital spaceflight as an opportunity for scientists to conduct their own experiments in a microgravity environment.

Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson plans to visit space before Jeff Bezos

Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson is set to be on a SpaceShipTwo Unity test flight as soon as July 11. Jeff Bezos plans to visit space July 20.

July 1, 2021

Performing experiments in orbital space isn’t really an option, with the cost and time needed to prepare for intensive spaceflight probably outweighing the benefits. Scientists can also send their experiments to the International Space Station, but they can’t tend to them themselves. Flying on a parabolic, or zero-gravity, plane flight is another option, but passengers experience weightlessness for only 22 seconds at a time.

“There’s nothing in between,” Villadei said. The Virgin Galactic flight “was not only to try the payloads that we developed along with the international research council, but [to] even try how this new platform can really ... provide us a kind of gap filler. What I can see is, it was really beneficial to us.”

The results of the onboard experiments will be analyzed in the next few weeks or months, Carlucci said.

Virgin Galactic Chief Executive Michael Colglazier nodded to the company’s dual revenue streams in a statement released before the flight, noting that the company’s “two dynamic products” are scientific research and private astronaut flights.

However, the flight also comes as extreme or adventure tourism is scrutinized after the implosion of the OceanGate deep-sea exploration submersible Titan , which killed all five people aboard.

Some have likened the minimal regulatory oversight for submersibles to the commercial space industry. Under federal law, the Federal Aviation Administration cannot impose safety standards on commercial craft that carry humans to space, according to Bloomberg .

It’s unclear whether the OceanGate submersible disaster could have an effect on demand for other adventure tourism ventures . Ladwig notes that while tourists sometimes die trekking to Mt. Everest or driving race cars, those incidents haven’t damped public interest or demand for those activities.

“Space and certainly submersibles, they seem to be a little different than that because [they are] such bigger experience[s],” he said. “It doesn’t seem to have the same impact in the public psyche.”

A disaster on the scale of the OceanGate submersible implosion has not happened in the commercial spaceflight industry. But there have been mishaps.

Nearly two years ago, Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft went off course during Branson’s flight to suborbital space. After an FAA investigation into the matter, the company was cleared to return to flight .

In 2014, an earlier version of Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft broke apart in midair during a powered test flight , killing the co-pilot and injuring the pilot.

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Virgin Galactic completes flight in step towards space tourism

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Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight launches today - here's what you need to know

Virgin Galactic is aiming to make these kinds of spaceflights a monthly occurrence, with seats priced between $250,000 (£191,000) and $450,000 (£344,000).

By Tom Acres, technology reporter

Thursday 10 August 2023 08:13, UK

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Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight launches today, blasting a former Olympian and mother-daughter duo above the Earth.

It follows the company's inaugural commercial trip earlier this summer , when three Italian citizens were taken into low orbit for scientific research experiments.

Thursday's take-off is billed as a recreational endeavour, with some crewmates winning their seats in a prize draw.

Who's on board?

The former Olympian on board is Jon Goodwin, who competed in canoeing at the 1972 Games in Munich.

The 80-year-old, from Newcastle , will be the second person with Parkinson's disease to reach the edge of space.

He said: "I hope this inspires all others facing adversity and shows them that challenges don't have to inhibit or stop them from pursuing their dreams."

Joining him on VSS Unity are Keisha Schahaff, 46, and 18-year-old Anastatia Mayers, who will become the first astronauts - professional or otherwise - from the Caribbean .

They will also be the first mother and daughter to travel on a spaceflight together.

Ms Schahaff is a wellness coach, while her daughter studies philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen .

Ms Schahaff said: "I know I'll be changed by my experience.

"I hope I'll be able to share that energy and inspire the people around me - in my role as a life coach, a mother, and ambassador for our beautiful planet."

Of course, the crew won't be heading into space alone.

They'll be joined by pilots CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer, alongside astronaut instructor Beth Moses.

Read more: Why billionaires are drawn to 'extreme tourism'

When and where is the launch happening?

The launch will happen at Spaceport America in New Mexico , with the window for take-off opening at 4pm UK time.

Similarly to how the now-defunct Virgin Orbit carried a rocket skyward from Newquay back in January , it will see VSS Unity attached to a plane.

Once the plane has taken off from the runway and hit release altitude, the spacecraft will be released and use its powerful rocket engine to shoot up to around 50 miles above the Earth.

Those piloting the plane, known as VMS Eve, will not reach space.

The duo, Nicola Pecile and Mike Masucci, will instead head straight back to the runway.

The crew who do carry on into orbit will experience five minutes of weightlessness and some great views, before heading home.

The whole flight will only take around 90 minutes.

Read more: Satellite deliberately crashed in world first International Space Station is 'dangerously dusty' New phone wallpaper? See stunning new image of dying star

How can I watch it?

You can watch a live stream of the launch on the Sky News website, app, and YouTube channel .

If you can't watch it live, you'll be able to catch it later on demand.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Will there be more flights like this in future?

Virgin Galactic is aiming to carry out monthly private flights, with seats priced between $250,000 (£191,000) and $450,000 (£344,000).

It means the next flight could happen as soon as September.

For anyone without such riches to call upon, they'll have to rely on other opportunities.

Ms Schahaff and her daughter won their seats in a contest to raise funds for Space for Humanity, a non-profit group that aims to send ordinary citizens into space to give them a "grander perspective" on the challenges facing Earth.

Related Topics

• Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic to Launch Space Tourism Flight as Waiting Lists Grow

Jesse Chase-Lubitz , Skift

June 7th, 2024 at 1:51 PM EDT

Virgin Galactic joins Blue Origin and Space Perspective in aspiring to make the final frontier open to all who can afford it. That's good news for travel agencies like RocketBreaks.

Jesse Chase-Lubitz

• What is the price range for space tourism tickets with Virgin Galactic and its competitors?
• How many people are currently on the waiting list for Virgin Galactic's space trips?
• Can you provide information about the different types of space tourism experiences offered by companies like Space Perspective?

Select a question above or ask something else

• Virgin Galactic's space tourism flight on June 8 will carry three private passengers.
• The space tourism industry is growing, with companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Space Perspective offering diverse experiences.
• Virgin Galactic aims to develop new spacecraft to increase flight frequency and passenger capacity.

Virgin Galactic is set to launch a space tourism flight on June 8, carrying three private passengers from California, New York, and Italy. The flight will last about 90 minutes and include a few minutes of zero gravity. The space tourism industry continues to grow, with companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Space Perspective offering various experiences. Virgin Galactic plans to develop a new generation of spacecraft to increase the frequency of flights and carry more passengers in the future.

Virgin Galactic plans to send a handful of paying passengers to the edge of space on June 8 as the space industry continues to grow and diversify.

“So far, there are about 3,000 to 4,000 people on the waiting lists for these trips,” said David Doughty, co-founder of the space travel agency RocketBreaks . His agency has secured contracts with seven tourists looking to launch into orbit and has set a date for one. 

Virgin Galactic’s flight will take off from New Mexico on Saturday and carry three private passengers from California, New York, and Italy. Tuva Cihangir Atasever , a researcher-astronaut from infrastructure company Axiom Space, and two commanders will accompany them.

Virgin Galactic has not released the identities of the private passengers. 

In an email to Skift, the company said, “We don’t consider our mission to take people to space, “tourism.” Those who fly with us become astronauts in what is a very thoughtful, purposeful journey that begins when they purchase a ticket.”

The passengers, whose identities were not disclosed, will enjoy a roughly 90-minute journey to the edge of space that includes a few minutes of zero gravity.

The company’s website states that spaceflight tickets cost $450,000, though it doesn’t disclose what passengers truly paid. On a recent earnings call, executives said the average price per seat on this flight is over $800,000 hope to charge a ticket price of $600,000 . Blue Origin doesn’t publicize its prices, but they have been said to range between $200,000 and over $1 million .

The space tourism industry

Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are known for their shorter suborbital flights, while SpaceX focuses on bringing tourists into orbit and to the International Space Station.

In August 2023, Virgin Galactic brought a health and wellness coach and her 18-year-old daughter who had won a fundraising competition by Space for Humanity, a non-profit that seeks to democratize space travel to space.

BlueOrigin , which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has sent more than two dozen passengers into space. SpaceX , founded by Elon Musk, brought an all-tourist crew back from space in 2021.

The industry is growing and diversifying. One company, called Space Perspective , is offering an even more luxurious experience, with VIP seating, a toilet, Michelin-star catering, and WiFi. Rather than a 90-minute round trip, this experience would last closer to six hours.

A space travel agency

“This is our number one product,” said Doughty. “People don’t necessarily want this fast 15-minute adrenaline field journey. They want a full experience. There are people that are planning to get married and have the first weddings in space.”

The waiting list for Space Perspective is already about 800 names long, according to Doughty. The first flight is scheduled to launch in 2027.

Virgin Galactic plans to retire its current spacecraft after this flight and start developing a new generation of Delta spaceships, which the company hopes will have the capacity to launch up to eight times per month and carry more passengers. Private astronaut flights are expected to resume in 2026. But the company will have to find a way to stay financially viable in the meantime .

The future of space tourism

RocketBreaks sees the industry widening to different types of experiences. “You can really personalize the experience and we help people find the journey they want,” said Doughty. “We could plan anything from a child meeting an astronaut for his birthday, a bucket list trip in your 70s and you don’t like G-Force, something for a premier league footballer who wants to feel the adrenaline.”

The technology is developing rapidly and confidence is slowly building, said Barry Shanks, director at RocketBreaks. “There’s going to be a great deal of marketing going on, so then I think we will see a rise,” he said. 

“In the long term, like 10 years time, we’re looking at doing a trip around the moon that will be no different than flying from London to Australia,” said Shanks of RocketBreaks.

CORRECTION : This article originally said Virgin Galactic’s latest flight on June 8 would be its second with paying passengers. It will be its seventh. We’ve also added this statement: “On its latest earnings call, the company said the average price per seat on this flight was over $800,000.”

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Tags: space tourism , virgin galactic

Photo credit: Virgin Galactic's first mission carrying passengers in August, 2023. Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight took off this week. Here are the players taking civilians to space.

• Virgin Galactic launched its first space tourism flight for paying customers on August 10.
• It marks a new era in space tourism for the company, with monthly flights expected to follow. 
• Space tourism is a growing industry for the rich. Seats on a Virgin Galactic flight cost $450,000 each.

This week, Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight successfully launched from New Mexico, taking three passengers who weren't traditional astronauts, to the edge of space and back .

Blasting off to the edge of space has become a more popular — though hardly mainstream — tourism experience. The company intends on operating commercial flights every month, ushering in a new era for space travel. 

Galactic 02's passengers included Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers, a mother and daughter from the Caribbean who won their seats in a ticket raffle, as well as Jon Goodwin, an 80-year-old former Olympian . 

Virgin Galactic , Richard Branson's commercial space venture, was established in 2004 and completed its first commercial spaceflight in June. On the flight were three passengers from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council. 

Space tourism translates to big business for the company: In its second quarter earnings report, Virgin Galactic attributed an increase in quarterly revenue from $0.4 in 2022 to $2 million this year to "commercial spaceflight and membership fees related to future astronauts." 

Tickets for a seat on a Virgin Galactic rocket can cost $450,000, though some, like Goodwin, bought their tickets over a decade ago for $250,000.

The steep price doesn't seem to be keeping people away. As of the end of last year, about 800 tickets for commercial spaceflights had been reserved, the company said in its 2022 annual report . These tickets will translate to about $207 million in future revenue, per the report.

Virgin Galactic is not the only company in the game. In July 2021, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sent four people, including Bezos, 62 miles above Earth, marking the first passenger spaceflight completed by the Amazon chairman's company, which was founded in 2000. 

Using a rocket called New Shepard , Blue Origin has completed six human spaceflights since.

There's also SpaceX, Elon Musk 's rocket company, which was founded in 2002 and is making concerted efforts in the commercial spaceflight industry.

In September 2021, SpaceX's Falcon 9  rocket took four civilians close to orbit without any professional astronauts on board. It was the first all-civilian crew to successfully complete a mission and was funded entirely by billionaire Jared Issacman. 

The following year, SpaceX , in conjunction with Axiom Space, launched the first all-private crew to the International Space Station, where they spent more than a week. The four attendees spent $55 million each for the trip.

Of course, most of us mere mortals aren't able to afford the price of entry into outer space. So until it becomes more affordable, here's a look at the options available to space tourists:

Virgin Galactic completed its first space tourism flight, dubbed Galactic 02, with paying customers on August 10. With monthly flights expected to take place moving forward, the company has asserted itself as a major player in the spaceflight industry.

Source: Virgin Galactic

The flight took off at 10:30 a.m. EST and landed at hour later, reaching a an apex point of 55 miles above the Earth. Virgin Galactic's next private spaceflight, Galactic 03, is planned for September.

The flight marked the first mother-daughter duo, Olympian, and majority female crew to go to space. Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers also become the first Caribbean astronauts.

Virgin Galactic completed its first commercial space flight, Galactic 01, at the end of June. The mission was for research, not tourism, and included three passengers from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council.

Source: Insider

The flight lasted 72 minutes from take off to landing.

Galactic 01's objectives were to measure hypergravity and microgravity effects on the human body.

Walter Villadei, a colonel in the Italian Air Force, was on the flight.

As of now, tickets are going for $450,000 a pop. While cabins can fit four people, Virgin Galactic intends on flying out only three passengers, reserving the final seat for an astronaut trainer.

Sources: Insider , Spacenews

Blue Origin's New Shepard made its ascent towards the edge of space and subsequent return back in August 2022. NS-22 was the company's most recent successful mission, and marked the rocket's 22nd mission to space and sixth human flight.

Source: Blue Origin

The calm before the storm: New Shepard at its launch pad ahead of NS-22 last year. Six crew members were part of the flight and getting ready inside the craft.

During the course of Blue Origin's 11-minute trips, tourists experience zero gravity, which offers a sense of weightlessness. The company requires passengers to take a course in order to prepare.

Mario Ferreira, a businessman and entrepreneur, became the first person from Portugal to travel to space after successfully completing NS-22. Sara Sabry, an engineer and CEO of the nonprofit Deep Space Initiative, pictured on the right, was the first person from Egypt to go to space.

Past Blue Origin passengers include "Star Trek" actor William Shatner, healthcare entrepreneur Glen de Vries, and Bezos' brother Mark.

Blue Origin is notoriously tight-lipped about its ticket pricing, but prior to its first commercial flight in July 2021, a passenger who later had to skip the flight due to "a scheduling conflict" said he'd paid $28 million to secure a seat.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is the only vessel that has sent private civilians to the International Space Station.

SpaceX's commercial space flight is the only one to actually send tourists into orbit, or 363 miles above Earth. In September 2021, a Falcon 9 rocket took four civilians into space for a total cost of around $220 million, paid for in full by billionaire Jared Isaacman.

Source: ABC

Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and SpaceX did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

• Main content

$125,000 balloon trips to space closer after successful test flight

Experiences

A new space tourism concept, unlike Blue Origin’s capsule and rocket or Virgin Galactic’s supersonic space plane, has been successfully tested off the coast of St Petersburg, Florida.

Space Perspective , which calls itself the world’s first carbon-neutral spaceflight company, is already selling seats in Spaceship Neptune, which is lofted by a balloon and lands by parachute. According to its website, the trip will offer Wi-Fi, a world-class culinary program, plush safety seating, luxury amenities, and panoramic views from the above most of Earth’s atmosphere.

Spaceship Neptune’s test flight

On Sept. 15, its uncrewed test vehicle completed a full flight profile, taking it to approximately 100,000 feet — above 99% of Earth’s atmosphere — during a six-hour journey. After the test flight, it descended slowly and splashed down into the ocean.

“Completing Development Flight 2 is a defining moment for Space Perspective,” said Taber MacCallum, Founder and CTO of Space Perspective. “This uncrewed flight not only proves our pioneering technology but also brings us a giant leap closer to making space accessible for everyone and reaffirms our belief in the transformative power of space travel.” A seat on Spaceship Neptune can already be purchased for US$125,000 (AUD$180,000).

Largest Spaceflight capsule ever flown

During the test, the capsule that constitutes Spaceship Neptune maintained cabin pressure and stability at peak altitude, which the company said confirms the safety, design and performance of what is the largest spaceflight capsule ever flown.

“This flight successfully demonstrated the extraordinary accessibility of Spaceship Neptune’s spaceflight experience with its gentle ascent, descent and splashdown, a critical step in opening space up to more people than ever before possible,” said Jane Poynter, Founder of Space Perspective. “Our advances in marine spaceport technology, spacecraft design, and flight safety are seing truly new standards for the future of space exploration.”

Inside Spaceship Neptune

Spaceship Neptune is a pressurized capsule lofted by a giant SpaceBalloon from Space Perspective’s 294-foot MS Voyager, a floating platform, and descending by parachute. It’s twice the size of the vehicles used by Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, at 16 feet (4.9 meters) in diameter. It’s four times larger than SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which NASA uses to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Able to take nine people, Spaceship Neptune will have far larger windows than any other space tourism vehicle and offer hours to gaze at the Earth against the blackness of space.

Space Perspective, whose goal is to take more humans to space than ever before, aims to begin crewed flights next year and start commercial trips in 2026. It’s sold 1,800 tickets so far and raised $100 million from investors and venture capital funds.

This article was originally published on  forbes.com and all figures are in USD.

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Virgin Galactic completes 11th successful spaceflight

Virgin Galactic has completed its first spaceflight of 2024 – its 11th mission to date. Today’s Galactic 06 flight marked the first time all four seats aboard VSS Unity were occupied by private astronauts.

Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said: “Today the incredible team at Virgin Galactic supported another successful mission and delivered an unforgettable experience for four new astronauts. The success of Galactic 06 and the Company’s other commercial spaceflights in recent months only increases our confidence in the repeatability of our product and our ability to deliver a superlative experience to our customers. With the production of our next-generation Delta-class ships underway, we look forward to expanding our flight capacity with testing expected to start next year and commercial service in 2026.”

Onboard Galactic 06 were:

Astronaut 023 – Ukrainian Lina Borozdina, who is resident in Nevada, USA, and the first Ukrainian woman to fly to space

Astronaut 024 – Robie Vaughn from Texas, USA

Astronaut 025 – Franz Haider from Austria, becoming the second person to fly to space from that country

Astronaut 026 – Neil Kornswiet from California, USA

The launch was watched from the ground at Spaceport America by more than 150 guests alongside Virgin Galactic’s team. VSS Unity was commanded by C J Sturckow, with pilot Nicola Pecile. Michael Masucci commended mothership VMS Eve, joined by pilot Dan Alix.

Galactic 06 in-flight facts:

Take-off time: 10:00 am MT

Altitude at release: 44,493 ft

Apogee: 55.2 miles

Top speed: 2.98 Mach

Landing time: 10:56am MT

Virgin Galactic’s next mission, expected in the second quarter of 2024, will include both a researcher and private astronauts. Head to Virgin Galactic to learn more.

Virgin Galactic announces international crew for flight on new Delta class space plane

The flight will use Virgin Galactic's Delta class of spaceplanes, which will fly no earlier than 2026.

Virgin Galactic has named one of the first commercial astronaut crews for its Delta-class planes, set to fly no earlier than 2026.

The crew, announced on Thursday (June 20), includes past Virgin Galactic American private astronaut Kellie Gerardi, who flew aboard Galactic 05 in November 2023, along with Canadian Shawna Pandya and Ireland's Norah Patten. All three are part of the non-profit International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), whose mandate includes testing technologies in suborbital aircraft and spacecraft, and performing educational activities.

The three crew members will expand on research that Gerardi (also IIAS director of human spaceflight) performed during Galactic 05, focusing on fluid behavior with applications to human health, Virgin officials said in a statement .

Virgin, founded by Richard Branson, announced the news two weeks after the final flight of its VSS Unity spaceplane on June 8. That flight carried a Turkish researcher and three private astronauts to space after being released from the VSS Eve carrier vehicle. Delta will allow for more frequent flights than the earlier generation once it flies, Virgin has said repeatedly, but as the upgrade happens no spaceflights will occur.

Related: Virgin Galactic launches VSS Unity space plane on final suborbital spaceflight with crew of 6 (photos, video)

"Beyond honored to lead the next IIAS research mission, advance the scientific knowledge gained from my first spaceflight, and to introduce my fellow payload specialists," Gerardi wrote on X , formerly Twitter.

Pandya, director of IIAS' space medicine group, thanked the organization for nine years of support so far. "It is not lost on me that I am the first named Canadian female commercial astronaut, and the fourth Indian origin female astronaut," she wrote on LinkedIn . "These communities have shaped who I am, and I promise to do you proud."

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Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

— Watch an awe-inspiring video from final flight of Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spaceplane

— Virgin Galactic launches VSS Unity space plane on final suborbital spaceflight with crew of 6 (photos, video)

—  Virgin Galactic launches 1st Ukrainian woman to space  —  and 3 others  —  on Galactic 06 suborbital flight (video)

Patten, an aeronautical engineer and bioastronautics researcher who currently expected to be Ireland's first private astronaut, reposted Virgin Galactic's announcement on X with the message: "This", along with emojis for a rocket and a star.

Former NASA astronaut Daniel Tani, who is married to an Irish citizen, has also called himself an astronaut from Ireland .

The Delta vehicles should be able to fly up to twice a week , Virgin representatives have said, and test flights are expected in 2025 with commercial operations beginning the following year. Virgin's tickets currently cost $450,000, but other passengers bought at lower prices over the decades.

The main competitor for Virgin in suborbital space tourism is Blue Origin , founded by Amazon creator Jeff Bezos. The company sends people to space on a rocket and capsule both called New Shepard. Blue Origin has not revealed its ticket prices.

Blue Origin most recently sent its seventh group to space, including Ed Dwight, a 90-year-old first U.S. black astronaut candidate . Blue Origin had a two-year pause in crewed operations after an uncrewed research mission failure in September 2022.

This article was corrected on June 24 to remove reference to an astronaut not from Ireland, and to add reference to spacecraft testing.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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• MicchaelL65 Without looking at the shoulder patches, tell me which one of these astronauts is Irish? Reply

"This", along with emojis for a rocket and a star.

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Florida company's space balloon takes big step toward 1st human flight

by Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel

The weekend trip was a success for Space Perspective, the company that already has more than 1,800 people waiting for their chance to take balloon rides in a posh capsule up to the edge of space.

The Spaceship Neptune-Excelsior performed its first uncrewed test flight, soaring to an altitude of 100,000 feet, marking a big step toward the Brevard County space tourism company's march toward its first trip with humans on board next year.

"I could have been in it," Space Perspective cofounder Jane Poynter said Thursday while climbing aboard the company vessel MS Voyager that hauled the capsule back into port. "It worked that well. Everything went so well."

The MS in the ship name stands for "marine spaceport." It set out last week from Port Canaveral, traveling down the coast and into the Gulf of Mexico for the eventual test flight off the coast of St. Petersburg on Sunday.

Many of the company's 130 employees and their families were on hand to welcome the ship back at port as it docked alongside the likes of SpaceX's recovery vessels at North Cargo Berth 8 while a lone Carnival cruise ship was docked across the turning basin at the port.

Poynter approached the ship with arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture, a grin ear-to-ear before shouting out welcome-home greetings to many of the 38 crew on board.

The sun gleamed off the 16-foot-diameter, silver metal globe with a teardrop-shaped stem nestled in a cradle aboard the ship like a massive golf ball upon a tee, except also held in place with cables attached to steel trusses anchored to the ship deck.

Reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, though, were the prime feature of the capsule—what the company says are the largest windows ever made for something flying to such heights, designed to offer 360-degree views during flight.

"One of the challenges with spaceflight is, when you're at altitude and there's no atmosphere outside, you actually end up having to get rid of heat," Poynter said. "So the larger the windows, the more heat you have to get rid of because the heat is pouring in during the day, which is when we fly."

She said the team did a lot of work on different kinds of film for the windows that could keep out the heat, but not change the view.

The altitude achieved on flight is not deemed space, but nearly 19 miles high, which is the company's goal, so customers see the curvature of the Earth and the black of space.

The much-pricier Virgin Galactic suborbital rocket launches venture above 50 miles altitude, what the Federal Aviation Administration deems as having gone to space. Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard rockets travel past the Karman line at more than 62 miles altitude—the internationally recognized altitude for having flown to space.

Space Perspective, though, taps into a market that doesn't require training and can fly much more frequently. Plus, the company touts the carbon-neutral aspect of the trips that only need hydrogen gas for the balloon to take flight.

The venture that began in 2019 has picked up pace since 2023 with Poynter saying she expects to be among the first people to fly its first human spaceflight in 2025 with customer flights possible by either the end of next year or in early 2026.

"So 18 months ago, we had barely a part made," she said. "So it took roughly 18 months to build it, test it, and fly it, which is why I think that's incredibly fast. I mean, just to say that again, normally it's years and years and years to develop."

The company had performed one other uncrewed flight with a stripped-down test capsule back in 2021, but this one was designed to approximate what humans would experience on a trip.

"We had all the pressure-control systems, the thermal-control systems, atmospheric-control systems, the humidity-control systems," Poynter said. "I mean, basically everything that you would need to have people on board."

She said the splashdown was about 11 mph.

"It was very gentle all the way through the flight, and it's going to be very accessible," she said, noting the company's potential customer base won't be limited by age or mobility, for the most part.

MS Voyager actually home ports down in Fort Pierce, but for now uses Port Canaveral to pick up and drop off the capsule.

The ship is equipped with what looks like the world's largest taffy-making machine, a mechanism with a series of four massive rollers that are used to deploy the balloon on liftoff.

The capsule is constructed at the company's facilities in Brevard County along with the 550-foot-long space balloons needed to bring it to such heights. The capsule hangs another 100 feet below the balloon, so it's 650 feet from top to bottom during flight. It has considerable width as well.

"When all stretched out, the balloon is over 300 feet across," said Taber MacCallum, the other cofounder of the company. "So you could take a football field, just spin it inside the balloon."

He said that even though the balloon ascends to an area that is higher than 99% of Earth's atmosphere, the interior will be similar to a plane ride. The capsules will be laid out like a comfortable lounge with passengers provided meal and cocktail service while having access to Wi-Fi and even a restroom.

"Inside the cabin feels just like you're in a business jet, except it's much bigger and a better view," he said.

The test flight wasn't without issues, though.

"There's always things," he said. "We had some communication anomalies, and we had some control anomalies on some parts of the release systems, and so there was stuff, as any first time out there."

That said, the endeavor was considered a success, with the capsule decked out with cameras and sensors galore to prove it could maintain cabin pressure and stability while keeping a comfortable temperature within, while also testing out recovery operations after splashdown.

"The main thing that we accomplished was we demonstrated we have a capsule that works," he said. "It's thermally controlled, it's pressure controlled. We have a balloon that will take us to the edge of space that we built ourselves."

The next step is to pore through terabytes of data collected, view the video footage and compare it to what MacCallum called a digital twin, a computer model that plotted out what the company expected to see in terms of "every aspect of life support, thermal control, structure, pressure, ascent, rate, splash, all these things," he said.

Changes will then be built into the next capsule.

Once complete, the flights, which for now run $125,000 per person, look to take up crews of eight plus a captain on roughly six-hour flights, which take two hours to get up to altitude, spend two hours hovering above Earth and then two hours down with a splashdown in the ocean.

"I will say that we have got such demand, honestly, the price is probably going to go up before it goes down," Poynter said. "But obviously, our long-term vision is to really bring this down dramatically.

"Maybe we'll have another product that we bring online in the future that allows us to really bring the price down dramatically, so that more and more people are able to go and have this incredible experience."

Its launch plans have shifted since the venture was started. Initially, launches were going to be from the former space shuttle landing facility at Kennedy Space Center with landings in the Gulf of Mexico, but now the company is sticking with maritime launch vessels.

"We're going to be able to fly off of Miami. We'll do some flights, maybe even off of Puerto Rico. We'll do some flights off of the Gulf side down by the Keys," Poynter said of the company's initial plans. "We'll be able to move around, and it's going to depend on the time of year as well, because we've got to make sure where there's really good weather."

Long-term plans plan for a much-grander scale.

"We'll take it slow at first, but we are planning to get to about 140 flights per location per year, and then have multiple locations around the world," Poynter said.

2024 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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