Virgin Galactic by Richard Branson again reaches space in successful flight

Virgin Galactic flew its space plane beyond the space limits on Friday morning in order to fly paying pbadengers to this airport, a milestone that, according to company founder Richard Branson, could arrive as early as this year.

The flight took place two months after Virgin Galactic reached an altitude of 51 km, reaching space for the first time, a historic milestone for which its pilots were awarded astronaut wings by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Astronauts have described flying as a first step toward creating space for those who are not professional astronauts.

"For all three of us today, it was the fulfillment of our ambitions, but paradoxically, it is only the beginning of an adventure that we can not wait to share with thousands of people." 39; others, "said chief pilot Dave Mackay in a statement after the flight. .

Virgin Galactic tweeted "SpaceShipTwo, welcome to space" at 8:55 am PT, and the company later announced that it had reached a peak of 55.87 miles (295,007 feet).

The launch took place as the company sought to further test the outer limits of the space plane before starting to pilot the hundreds of tourists who signed up to pay up to $ 250,000 (365,000). USD) per ticket.

Virgin Galactic has not yet reached what is called the Karman Line, the 100 km or 100 km limit that many consider to be the limit of space. In this week's commentary, Jeff Bezos, whose space company Blue Origin also intends to fly tourists into space, has swept its competitor. (Bezos owns the Washington Post.)

"One of the problems that Virgin Galactic will face, ultimately, is that they do not fly over the Karman line," Bezos said at an event in New York, according to SpaceNews.

Blue Origin, who has not announced how much it would charge to its pbadengers, would fly over 100 km, he said, "because we did not want there to be any." asterisk next to your name to indicate whether you are an astronaut or not. "

Virgin Galactic officials have repeatedly emphasized the fact that the FAA and other federal government agencies had defined the space from 50 miles, and in a statement at the end of the year. Last year, George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said the company "has always respected recognition and will follow the same."

SpaceShipTwo, dubbed the rocket plane, took off from the Mojave air and space port in California around 8 am Pacific time, tied to the belly of a mother ship, WhiteKnightTwo. The vehicles flew at an altitude of about 40,000 feet before the spacecraft was dropped and the pilot turned on the ignition, starting the engine and throwing the spacecraft into the atmosphere.

Virgin Galactic's chief pilot, Dave Mackay, a former Royal Air Force pilot, and Michael "Sooch" Masucci, a former Air Force lieutenant-colonel and pilot of U-2 and F-16, were in charge.

After take-off, the company announced that a third crew member was aboard the satellite: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor and "expert micro-gravity researcher." The company said in a tweet that Moses "will provide human validation of the data we collect, including aspects of the customer's cabin and the space flight environment from the point of view of people at the airport. back".

Although it was not the company's first mission in space, it was an unprecedented day for the fledgling commercial flight industry: Moses was the first person to float weightlessly in the uninhibited space aboard a spaceship; the first time a non-pilot went into space on a commercial spacecraft; and it was the first commercial spaceship to carry three people in space.

The flight, delayed Wednesday by the high winds, was another key step in the development of the spacecraft company, officials said.

"Although we have reached a milestone in December, we still have a lot to do to test the many factors that can affect a flight," Virgin said in a statement before the mission. "So, for this flight, we will expand the envelope to collect vital new data vital to future tests and operations, including the vehicle's center of gravity."

The flight was also to test certain aspects of the crew cabin, where pbadengers would have a few minutes to float in weightlessness, while enjoying an unobstructed view of space and the Earth.

"By boarding Beth today in the cabin, we make sure our customer journey is as faultless as the spacecraft itself, creating an immense sense of anticipation and excitement for all of us who are eager to live in space on our own, "said Branson. in a press notice sent shortly after the flight.

"The next few months will announce the most exciting."