Space tourism is getting closer to being a reality thanks to the Virgin Galactic company, owned by British billionaire Richard Branson. The company has now announced that it has successfully completed a suborbital test of its VSS Unity spacecraft and expects to begin rocket flight tests in the coming months.
The proof
During the test, VMS Eve lifted off from Spaceport America with VSS Unity attached to both of its airframes at 8:35 am ET. After reaching an altitude of 47,000 feet (14.3 kilometers), Eve released Unity at 9:47 am ET, and the spacecraft touched down nine minutes later back at Spaceport America. Virgin Galactic has indicated that the data obtained during the flight will be analyzed in the coming weeks.
Resurfacing after the Virgin Orbit crisis
Importantly, Virgin Galactic should not be confused with Virgin Orbit, another Branson-owned satellite launcher that recently filed for bankruptcy due to the loss of seven payloads in an accident caused by a $100 filter. Virgin Orbit has suspended its operations and has tried to get an investor to get it out of its financial situation, however, it has ended up declaring bankruptcy.
For its part, Virgin Galactic has announced that upcoming rocket flight tests will be used to “evaluate customer experience and ground testing” before the company resumes commercial space tourism. The test comes after a two-year hiatus in VMS Eve’s suborbital flights. Virgin Galactic resumed these flights in February this year to test a revision to the four-point launch pylon that the carrier plane uses to carry spacecraft to high altitudes.
A long road to FAA certification
Virgin Galactic obtained FAA certification to fly passengers into space almost two years ago. However, the company has had to face various obstacles to achieve final certification and resume space tourism. In February of this year, Virgin Galactic suffered a setback when shareholder Yousef Abughazaleh filed a lawsuit in Delaware alleging that Branson and company executives had lied about the safety of their spacecraft to inflate the share price.
Virgin Galactic’s project represents a big step towards the democratization of access to space. Space tourism is becoming a reality and, although the price is still very high, it is a first step to ensure that more people can have access to a unique and extraordinary experience. The project also has important implications in terms of research and technological advances that may have applications in other fields beyond space tourism, for which we will be attentive.
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