Virgin Galactic to launch commercial spaceflights in June, shares skyrocket
Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded by British Richard Branson, announced that it will resume flights with a test mission in late May and the launch of commercial flights in June. The Unity 25 mission, carrying four company employees, will be the firm’s fifth trip into space and the final assessment before it opens for commercial services. Unlike other companies that use vertical-launch rockets, Virgin Galactic uses a carrier aircraft that drops a rocket-powered plane that soars into space before gliding back to Earth. The crew for the Unity 25 mission includes two men and two women, with two pilots assigned to the mothership and two to the spaceship.
The first commercial flight, Galactic 01, will include passengers from the Italian Air Force. Virgin Galactic had delayed its commercial service due to a supply-chain crisis and labour shortage last year and reopened ticket sales in February, with prices starting at $450,000 per person with an initial deposit of $150,000. Shares in the company rose by 4% on the news of the May mission would be the final test of the spaceflight system and astronaut experience before it opens up for commercial services.
