Skip to main content

Virgin Galactic aims to rocket to space as soon as Saturday

 

Virgin Galactic aims to rocket to space as soon as Saturday
a airplane that is flying in the air: VMS Eve and SpaceShipTwo Unity Virgin Galactic© Provided by CNET VMS Eve and SpaceShipTwo Unity Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's nascent space tourism company, plans to make its latest run at orbit as soon as Saturday, Feb. 13 from New Mexico's Spaceport America.

Virgin is working to complete a few more test flights before Branson takes his own long-awaited orbital joyride, followed by paying customers who are coughing up somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter million dollars to become astronauts for a day.

The company attempted a test flight in December, but a computer on board the spacecraft SpaceShipTwo Unity aborted ignition of the rocket motor. The Virgin Galactic team now says it's corrected the problem and tested it on the ground. The next step is to try again.


Video: SpaceX Starship prototype explodes during test flight (CBS News)

SpaceX Starship prototype explodes during test flight

Saturday is the earliest we could see Unity and the Virgin carrier aircraft VMS Eve take off from the high desert north of Las Cruces. There are other flight opportunities throughout February if weather or technical issues don't cooperate.

"The flight will incorporate all of the original test objectives from the previous test flight, including evaluating elements of the customer cabin, testing the livestream capability from the spaceship to the ground, and assessing the upgraded horizontal stabilizers and flight controls during the boost phase of the flight," Virgin Galactic said in a statement.  

Branson and his company have been working toward sending paying customers to space for over 15 years now. Progress has been delayed during that time by issues including a fatal accident and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, but the finish line for Virgin Galactic has been in view for the past few years. The company has unveiled the look of its flight suits, cabin interior and even the cafe where astronauts and their families will hang out prior to leaving Spaceport America.

a airplane that is flying in the sky: VMS Eve and SpaceShipTwo Unity© Virgin Galactic

VMS Eve and SpaceShipTwo Unity

As soon as this weekend, Branson and Virgin could be just one more flight away from finally realizing a dream years in the making.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From a Supersonic Jet to a Tourist Spaceship: How Virgin Galactic Could Change Travel as We Know It

  From a Supersonic Jet to a Tourist Spaceship: How Virgin Galactic Could Change Travel as We Know It The new business jet could travel from New York to London in 90 minutes BY  MICHAEL VERDON         Virgin Galactic Aerion and Boom, the two front-runners in the revived supersonic-aviation race, could have some serious competition if the speed of  Virgin Galactic ’s new Mach 3  business jet  matches the company’s projection of 2,300 mph. (How fast is that, exactly? Try New York  to London in 90 minutes.) The renderings of the delta-wing design show a sleek profile, with an interior that will hold  up to 19 passengers. Virgin is working with Rolls-Royce, which developed the original Concorde’s engines, on a new design intended to reach Mach 3 using sustainable aviation fuel, and recently passed a Mission Concept Review with NASA–– a first (though  very early) step toward FAA certification. “We believe that high-speed commercial ...
Post a Comment
Read more

SpaceX launches world’s first ‘amateur astronaut’ crew to orbit Earth

SpaceX launches world’s first ‘amateur astronaut’ crew to orbit Earth Launch marks biggest advancement so far in space tourism as Elon Musk’s company conducts first chartered passenger flight 01:58 SpaceX makes history with first all-civilian crew launched into orbit – video Alexandra Villarreal  and agencies Thu 16 Sep 2021 19.11 BST SpaceX has launched the world’s first crew of “amateur astronauts” on a private flight to circle Earth for three days. Wednesday night’s successful launch marked the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism. It’s the first chartered passenger flight for Elon Musk’s space company and the first time a rocket streaked toward orbit with a crew that contained no professional astronauts. “It blows me away, honestly,” the SpaceX director, Benji Reed, said on the eve of launch from Nasa’s Kennedy  Space  Center. “It gives me goosebumps even right now to talk about it.” Leading the flight is Jared Isaacman, 38, who made his fortune with a payment-pro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and All the Other Names That Made It Big in Private Space Travel in 2021

  Space tourism isn’t exactly a new concept, but 2021 saw it go from far-off possibility to actual reality several times over. While multiple factors drove these innovations, there are a few names that each play significant roles within their own companies. First, there’s mogul Richard Branson’s space exploration wing, Virgin Galactic. Then there’s Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ company, Blue Origin. Rounding out the trio is electric car magnate, and regular competitor for Bezos’ title of richest man on the planet, Elon Musk and his endeavor, SpaceX. While the road to these milestones was marked by several missteps, including government lawsuits, misguided expectations and a few failed launches, the year set several new high-water marks that will likely change our perception of space from now on. Here’s a look at how the Big Three of space tourism each fared this year. See:  6 Holidays Purchases That You Should Only Make at Costco Good To Know:  4 Costco Items That Have Remai...
Post a Comment
Read more