The dawn of space tourism may be fast approaching as billionaire Richard Branson’s company Virgin Galactic is preparing to make its first commercial flight to the final frontier by the end of June.
With a four-day launch window beginning June 27, the space tourism company will take a crew of three specialists with the Italian Air Force and the National Research Centre of Italy to conduct microgravity research on the edges of space. Commercial space flights for ticket holders will then begin in August and continue monthly, the company announced Thursday.
“This next exciting chapter for Virgin Galactic has been driven by innovation, determination and a commitment to delivering an unparalleled and truly transformative customer experience,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement.
Asteroid tracker:NASA said asteroid the size of the Brooklyn Bridge passed near Earth on Thursday
Virgin Galactic completed its final test flight last month
It’s been a long road for the company to reach a point where it says it’s able to now take paying customers on brief trips to space.
In 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded Virgin Galactic to investigate a July 11 space flight amid concerns that it deviated off-course with Branson on board.
Two years later, Virgin Galactic completed its final test flight, known as the Unity 25 mission May 25, landing at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico after a short flight to space that included a few minutes of weightlessness. In a mission that lasted a little more than an hour, the mother ship carried the spaceplane to an altitude of 44,500 feet, where it reached an altitude of 54.2 miles before gliding back down to the runway, according to the company.
Space exploration:NASA’s Psyche mission on track for fall launch to metallic asteroid after yearlong delay
Virgin Galactic flight prices aren’t cheap
Reserving your seat with Virgin Galactic for a 90-minute ride to space isn’t cheap. Tickets went on sale to about 1,000 customers last February at a whopping $450,000 a pop, USA TODAY previously reported.
But not to fear: For the many people confined to Earth’s gravitational pull, the company will offer livestreams of both its initial missions on its website, virgingalactic.com
Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are in a space race
Virgin Galactic’s announcement comes about a month after billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin was selected as the second provider for lunar lander services for NASA’s Artemis program and was awarded a $3.4 billion contract.
The company, owned and personally funded by Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has been in a heated space race for years with Branson’s company. It’s New Shepard rocket developed for space tourism was expected to return to flight by the end of 2023 after the vehicle suffered a mid-flight failure in September.
Launch failure:Blue Origin’s New Shepard crashes in Texas
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.
