Sir Richard Branson has officially set a date for flying to space. It will tentatively be July 11, or shortly after this date.
He will be traveling as a passenger behind the Unity rocket aircraft that his famous company Virgin Galactic has been developing in America for almost twenty years.
The aircraft could go up 90km (295,000ft), giving those aboard a few minutes of weightlessness and the view of the Earth’s curve.
Commercial Spaceflights
Sir Richard’s intention is to introduce a commercial spaceflights service.
About 600 people have already invested in the program to be taken to the edge of space just like Richard Branson.
Witnessing the owner of the company doing it signifies that those customers are now very close to offering the full price of the tickets in advance. It can go up-to $ 250,000 (£ 180,000) in some cases.
‘Space Belongs To All Of Us’
Sir Richard Branson commented that: “I truly believe that space is all ours. After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, a new commercial space industry is ready to open up the Universe to humanity and transform the world for the better.
“It’s one thing to have a dream of making space more accessible to all; it’s another for an incredible team to collectively turn that dream into reality.”
Commercial Spacecraft License By Aviation Authority
Most importantly for Virgin Galactic to continue its business was the licensing that it acquired last week by the Federal Aviation Administration.
On Sunday 11 July the so-called “window” of the flight opens. The Galactic team will intend to make history that day, however it may be delayed due to inclement weather or perhaps a technical problem.
If the mission does indeed go ahead on that Sunday, it would mean Sir Richard stealing a march on his rival in sub-orbital space tourism, fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Competition In The Industry
The founder of the online retail empire Amazon.com has burned a lot of his cash and Amazon stock for building rockets and announcing his journey to the edge of space on 20 July.
He has invited three people to join him in his New Shepard booster and capsule system: his brother Mark; an anonymous individual who has paid $ 28m (£ 20m) at an auction to get a seat; and the famous lady pilot of the world, Wally Funk.
Eighty-two-year-old Funk has previously trained to be a space astronaut in the 1960s and will be the oldest astronaut when she rockets up to 100km with Mr Bezos.
