Photo: Virgin Galactic
It's been more than a year since both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin flew a number of private citizens to the edge of space, and we were all expecting space tourism to have been a thing already. For whatever reason, that didn't happen yet with either company. But things are about to change.
It's Richard Branson's only remaining space company (the other one, Virgin Orbit, went bust earlier this year), Virgin Galactic, which will be responsible for making spaceflights for civilians commonplace. After nailing the final test flight of the Unity spaceship back in May, the company is now ready to kickstart the future.
It will all begin with a flight expected to take place at the end of June. Called Galactic 01, it will not take John and Jane Does to space, but members of the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy. In all three people will fly, and even if they are not trained astronauts either, their involvement with the aerospace industry doesn't exactly make them newbies.
The crew, which at the time of writing is still unnamed, will perform undisclosed microgravity research during their very short stay beyond the edge of space.
From early August, however, Virgin Galactic will truly start the era of space tourism, with monthly missions planned. It is then when the Galactic 02 mission is planned, expected to fly the first “private astronauts.” The names of the daring souls were not announced, but we expect the curtain to fall on that bit of info shortly before the flight.
If you are wondering how much it costs to get a taste of the Virgin Galactic experience, the short answer is a lot. Taking into account literally everything, including multi-day training and preparation retreat at Spaceport America (not only for the wannabe astronaut, but also for family and friends), the ticket on the Unity spaceship will set one back $450,000.
It might be worth it, though, as at the end of the journey people get to keep not only their own memories of this unique kind of trip, but also professionally shot photos and videos.
Galactic 01 and 02 are not only meant to kickstart an industry (we expect Blue Origin, and perhaps even SpaceX, to not leave Virgin's achievement unanswered), but also set the basis for what Branson's execs call the world's first commercial spaceline.
We'll keep an eye on what Virgin Galactic is up next, and update accordingly. After all, it's not everyday we get to see history being written. Where will our world go from here is anybody's guess, but one thing is now certain: humans have outgrown their planet, and the only way to evolve is boldly go out there, in the dark, cold space.
It will all begin with a flight expected to take place at the end of June. Called Galactic 01, it will not take John and Jane Does to space, but members of the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy. In all three people will fly, and even if they are not trained astronauts either, their involvement with the aerospace industry doesn't exactly make them newbies.
The crew, which at the time of writing is still unnamed, will perform undisclosed microgravity research during their very short stay beyond the edge of space.
From early August, however, Virgin Galactic will truly start the era of space tourism, with monthly missions planned. It is then when the Galactic 02 mission is planned, expected to fly the first “private astronauts.” The names of the daring souls were not announced, but we expect the curtain to fall on that bit of info shortly before the flight.
If you are wondering how much it costs to get a taste of the Virgin Galactic experience, the short answer is a lot. Taking into account literally everything, including multi-day training and preparation retreat at Spaceport America (not only for the wannabe astronaut, but also for family and friends), the ticket on the Unity spaceship will set one back $450,000.
It might be worth it, though, as at the end of the journey people get to keep not only their own memories of this unique kind of trip, but also professionally shot photos and videos.
Galactic 01 and 02 are not only meant to kickstart an industry (we expect Blue Origin, and perhaps even SpaceX, to not leave Virgin's achievement unanswered), but also set the basis for what Branson's execs call the world's first commercial spaceline.
We'll keep an eye on what Virgin Galactic is up next, and update accordingly. After all, it's not everyday we get to see history being written. Where will our world go from here is anybody's guess, but one thing is now certain: humans have outgrown their planet, and the only way to evolve is boldly go out there, in the dark, cold space.
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