The launch window for Galactic 02 mission opens on Thursday, August 10, and the mission will be livestreamed by the company.
This mission will take its first three paying civilians on a rocket-powered plane to a point about eight times higher than a traditional passenger aircraft, where they will enjoy moments of weightlessness and breathtaking views of Earth.
The experience, which will take off and land at Spaceport America in New Mexico, will last only about 70 minutes.
A flight that will take you to the Kármán line
The flight manifest details of Galactic 02, including the names of the crew and pilots, will be announced closer to the flight date, according to the company.
The mission follows last month’s inaugural commercial flight, which involved two Italian Air Force pilots and an official from the National Research Council of Italy.
The customers will fly aboard the VSS Unity, which is carried to an altitude of around 50,000 feet by another aircraft, the VMS Eve.
The Eve then releases the Unity, which immediately ignites its rocket engine, propelling it to a maximum altitude of about 282,000 feet (86 km), roughly 5 miles from the Kármán line, widely considered as the boundary of space.
Virgin Galactic is eager to start offering regular trips to the hundreds of people who have already paid a significant amount for the journey of a lifetime. It began selling seats years ago for $250,000 per person, but in 2021, it increased the price to a staggering $450,000.
After trailing behind its rival Blue Origin in the race to launch a commercial service, Virgin Galactic seems to be on a winning streak now.
Blue Origin had to suspend its service last year after its suborbital rocket exploded during an unmanned flight in West Texas. The crewless capsule safely ejected and landed, demonstrating the effectiveness of the vehicle’s safety procedure. Blue Origin hopes to resume crewed flights in the coming months.
Critics argue that these tourist services cause unnecessary pollution and are ultimately a playground for the super-rich.
Supporters, however, claim that commercial flights provide research opportunities in microgravity to more organizations and businesses while also serving to inspire young engineers.
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