Branson’s impact on commercial space race will be huge, former NASA astronaut says

Retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that Virgin Galactic’s first successful test flight in suborbital space on Sunday would have a big impact on the space race commercial.

“I think it’s going to be huge,” Stott said. “We’re on that point, right, going over the edge like they did yesterday, and I think it’s just going to pick up speed from here.”

The company’s spacecraft, VSS Unity, was launched into the skies over New Mexico, with two pilots guiding the vehicle carrying billionaire founder Sir Richard Branson and three Virgin Galactic employees. This was a major milestone in the race for commercial space and a step towards its 2022 commercial service goal.

Host Shepard Smith asked Stott what she thought of critics who say Branson didn’t really go to space because his trip was suborbital. The veteran NASA astronaut, who has spent 104 days living and working in space, noted that the agency considers space 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. She added: “I think we have better things to discuss, don’t we?”