First commercial passenger spaceplane
Virgin Galactic announced on June 26 that the first commercial space flight with four passengers will take place on June 29 at the earliest.
Spaceplane VSS Unity. Photo: Virgin Galactic
The flight started at 10 pm (Hanoi time) on June 29 at the US Spaceport in New Mexico state. The VMS Eve transporter will carry the VSS Unity spaceplane, each piloted by two pilots, to an altitude of about 15,000 m.
Then VMS Eve will release VSS Unity so that this aircraft can fire its rocket engine, continuing to fly into sub-orbital space. The four passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness, see the Earth's curve in dark space, and then return.
The four passengers included Pantaleone Carlucci (engineer at the National Research Council of Italy), Colin Bennett (astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic), Walter Villadei (Colonel of the Italian Air Force) and Angelo Landolfi (physicist). in the Italian Air Force).
The June 29 mission, named Galactic 01, is intended to support Virtute 1 - a joint research project carried out by the Italian Air Force in collaboration with the Italian National Research Council. The flight is expected to last 90 minutes, during which VSS Unity will transform into a suborbital science laboratory, providing an environment for the crew to interact with wearables. There are a total of 13 experiments (both automated and guided) with the aim of studying fluid dynamics and sustainable materials for medical use.
VSS Unity took a selfie during a crewed flight on May 25. Photo: Virgin Galactic
VSS Unity has a maximum capacity of 6 passengers. This aircraft has made 5 flights to sub-orbital space, the last time taking place on May 25. If the Galactic 01 mission goes well, the VMS Eve and VSS Unity duo will soon have their next flight. The Galactic 02 mission is expected to launch in early August, followed by monthly commercial flights, Virgin Galactic announced last week.
A ticket on VSS Unity costs up to $450,000. Virgin Galactic is competing with Blue Origin, the space travel company of billionaire Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin's New Shepard has not taken off since September 2022, when it crashed during an uncrewed research flight.