Land Rover Helped Richard Branson Reach the Edge of Space for His First Time

Land Rover was part of Virgin Galactic’s epic mission to complete its first fully crewed space flight ever. Two of its vehicles had a key role in the successful mission. A Range Rover Astronaut Edition was used to take Branson and his team of astronauts to the Unity 22 spacecraft, while a Land Rover Defender 110 towed back the ship after its safe landing.

Virgin Galactic and the British automaker have been partners since 2014, with Land Rover's vehicles being used on a daily basis for carrying around the team and their equipment, towing the space vehicles, clearing runways before take-off, and more. It is a job done with great pride by the car maker, as CEO Joe Eberhardt admits it. He recently expressed his excitement to be part of this latest Unity 22 mission, while looking forward to support all future Virgin Galactic flights as well.

The Range Rover Astronaut Edition was presented to the world back in 2019 as a vehicle only available for members of the Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut community. Designed by Land Rover’s SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) division, the SUV is a luxurious car featuring a unique “zero gravity blue” paint inspired by the night sky and an elegant interior that is also "space-themed".

This Sunday, on July 11, Richard Branson and five more Virgin Galactic crew members engaged in the fourth crewed spaceflight of the company. But it was also the first mission to carry a full crew as well as the first for Branson, who finally reached space in one of his own ships, as Astronaut 001.

The entire world had the chance to watch a livestream of the flight, with Unity 22 launching from New Mexico and taking the crew on a 90-minute suborbital flight at an altitude of 52 miles (85 km).