Virgin Galactic Launches First Passengers to Space | Richard Branson

Virgin Galactic Achieves Historic Spaceflight with Founder Richard Branson Aboard

Virgin Galactic has marked a significant milestone by successfully transporting its inaugural group of passengers to space, including the company’s founder, Richard Branson. The event, hosted at Spaceport America in New Mexico, was a notable occasion for both the media and Virgin Galactic employees.

A New Era of Space Access

Upon his return, Branson expressed his vision for the future of space travel, stating, “Just envision a future where space is accessible to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and from every corner of the globe, regardless of gender or ethnicity.” He proclaimed the arrival of “the dawn of a new space age!”

While this vision may be somewhat anticipatory, the flight undeniably represents a pivotal moment in the developing space tourism sector. Currently, space travel remains exclusive to a select few, but recent developments indicate that this is poised to change.

Launch Day Challenges and Preparations

The day began with an exceptionally early start, with transportation to the Spaceport commencing at 2:45 AM from Las Cruces. True to form for a space launch, the event experienced a delay. Overnight thunderstorms prevented the spacecraft from being moved into position, as any exposure to moisture is unacceptable.

At the extreme speeds and temperatures involved in spaceflight, no risks can be tolerated – even the formation of ice on the spacecraft’s structure is a concern.

Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch

As the sun rose, attendees began to arrive, including VIP guests, employees, local students, and individuals on Branson’s personal invitation list, estimated at around 150 people. Notably, Elon Musk was also present, offering his congratulations to Branson.

The Flight of VSS Unity

At 8:30 local time, the engines of VMS Eve, the carrier aircraft, ignited, preparing for the launch of VSS Unity, the rocket-powered spaceplane. Aboard Unity were Branson, along with Virgin Galactic’s Beth Moses (on her second spaceflight), Sirisha Bandla, and Colin Bennett.

VMS Eve takes off. Image Credits: Virgin Galactic

Eve took off at 8:40, initiating a period of ascent to approximately 36,000 feet. Unity then detached and began its rocket-powered climb around 9:24, achieving Mach 3 and reaching a peak altitude of roughly 282,000 feet – approximately 53 miles, as planned.

The crew experienced several minutes of weightlessness, which they utilized for observation and enjoyment.

Image Credits: Virgin Galactic

Successful Landing and Celebrations

A planned speech by Branson during the flight was hampered by intermittent signal loss, but the spacecraft itself performed flawlessly, landing safely at 9:38.

Following a brief performance by Khalid, Branson addressed the crowd, beginning with an apology for the heat and then sharing his excitement. “I’ve dreamt of this moment since childhood, but nothing could have prepared me for the view of Earth from space. We stand at the beginning of a new space age.”

Post-Flight Press Conference

A subsequent press conference saw Branson answering questions from elementary school students, while the crew described their experience and whether they observed any planets. Branson playfully claimed to have spotted an alien during descent, a story that at least one young attendee readily believed.

A Significant Journey to Outer Space

Virgin Galactic Pilots preparing for a Virgin Galactic Spaceflight System mission. Image Credits: Virgin Galactic

The achievement represents a considerable milestone for both Virgin Galactic and its founder, Branson. Initially, the company demonstrated leadership in the burgeoning field of space tourism. However, a tragic incident in 2014, involving a test flight and the loss of a pilot, presented a significant setback.

Despite this adversity, Virgin’s engineering teams and leadership persevered, developing an enhanced and more robust spacecraft. This new vehicle was named Unity by the late Stephen Hawking, who expressed a keen interest in experiencing space travel himself.

Over subsequent years, pilots undertook numerous test flights, progressively increasing the spacecraft’s power. Ultimately, in 2018, Unity reached the fringes of space. The precise demarcation between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space remains a subject of debate. Different organizations define the Kármán line, the hypothetical boundary, at either 100 kilometers or 50 miles (approximately 80 kilometers) above sea level.

Unity 22 deploys its flight control surfaces during its descent. Image Credits: Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic adopts the lower altitude measurement, while its competitor, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, utilizes the higher one. This discrepancy prompted Bezos to publicly question the validity of Virgin’s flights, suggesting that passengers might require an “asterisk” to denote their space journey. A Virgin representative previously clarified that they adhere to the standards set by NASA and the U.S. Air Force, awarding “astronaut wings” to pilots exceeding the 50-mile threshold.

Setting aside the debate over the Kármán line, the competition to transport passengers to space has intensified recently. Bezos announced his planned flight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket on July 22, accompanied by his brother, a paying customer who invested $28M for the opportunity, and Wally Funk, a pioneering female astronaut candidate from 1961 who never reached space.

However, Branson preempted Bezos’s launch by announcing his own flight aboard Virgin’s first fully crewed spaceflight – though crew and pilots had flown previously – approximately a week earlier.

While Branson has publicly downplayed any rivalry with Bezos (“We wish Jeff all the best,” he stated, noting Bezos’s congratulatory message prior to the flight), it’s difficult to accept this as entirely genuine. Despite their established success, both individuals likely derive satisfaction from Branson’s achievement of reaching space before his competitor. Regardless of his denials, the narrative is too compelling to ignore.

Virgin Galactic’s immediate focus now shifts to accommodating paying customers, a substantial number of whom are already registered. These individuals possess the financial means – around $250,000 – to participate. For those unable to afford this, Branson has introduced an alternative. A partnership with Omaze allows donations to a designated charity to enter a raffle, with the prize being two tickets on a future Virgin Galactic flight. Branson also offered “a guided tour of Spaceport America, given by yours truly,” adding a touch of whimsy.

Branson voiced optimism that this initiative could become a recurring event contingent on continued charitable contributions, potentially offering a pathway to fulfilling his frequent promise of making space accessible to everyone.

The entirety of the event can be revisited through Virgin Galactic’s archived livestream, available below: