Virgin Galactic and Richard Branson complete their first fully crewed space flight

After tragedy, multiple delays and numerous rivalries, Virgin Galactic has completed its first fully crewed space flight. The Unity 22 mission saw founder Richard Branson join Beth Moses, Colin Bennett, and Sirisha Bandla aboard SpaceShipTwo as they tested the spacecraft and conducted experiments. Branson, as you can guess, was there both for prestige and to assess “private astronaut experience”.

The theft included some controversy. Blue Origin, whose first crewed space flight is only days away, denigrated Virgin saying SpaceShipTwo would not really enter space – the craft reached an altitude of “only” 53.4 miles during Unit 22 where the Kármán line (the official demarcation for space) is 62 miles. If you focus on the technical details, Jeff Bezos will be the first corporate mogul to break through that symbolic barrier.

Whether you agree or not, theft is a big accomplishment for Virgin. This is SpaceShipTwo’s first full test and paves the way for commercial spaceflight if they start in 2022. Branson’s outfit has made money with test flights, but it will only achieve its commercial ambitions when tourists can finally use their tickets and taste the space.