Virgin Galactic has a shuttle in the space

BRATISLAVA. SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, Virgin Galactic, by British billionaire Richard Branson has managed to fly in space and back.

The machine flew over the test flight at a height of 82.7 km. It has reached a limit where, according to the company, the US Air Force and other US agencies, the space begins.

However, the shuttle does not reach the so-called Karman border, located at an altitude of 100 km and representing the end of the Earth's atmosphere.

Closer to a commercial trip in the universe

The shuttle flew from the Moose Desert in California. The machine brought a special plane in the air, which moved it to 13,100 meters.

The shuttle then turned on the engine that, according to the company, would have burned for 60 seconds until it reached height. The machine was 2.9 times faster than the speed of sound.

Read also: Branson showed a new space shuttle SpaceShipTwo

On board the SpaceShipTwo were two pilots carrying a "passenger" – a model named Annie – and four US Navy and Air Force (NASA) experiments. Pilots Mark Stucky and Rick Sturckow get the badges of the commercial astronauts.

The fourth test was the fourth of its kind in the Virgin Galactic space program.

Since its inception, the program has come with many failures and delays, such as the 2014 fatal accident.

The success of the test flight has brought Virgin Galactic closer to commercial space travel. The company's goal is to have a six-seater space shuttle, like a private plane.

The BBC news portal recalls that the company charges $ 250,000 (about 220,000 euros) for a period of 90 minutes.

According to Virgin Galactic, during such a trip, he would have bought tickets or given advance to more than 600 people. Branson says that he wants to be the first passenger of this type.

Branson is not the only one

The sister company, Virgin Galactic, is developing new versions of SpaceShipTwo and testing their flight. On previous test flights, the machines had reached a height of 52 kilometers.

Branson is not the only entrepreneur to embark on "space tourism". In addition, Blue Origin, Jeff Bezosa and SpaceX Elona Muska, are also looking to provide commercial space flights.

The information comes from the AP and website www.bbc.com.