Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded by Richard Branson, achieved a significant milestone on June 29 as it completed its first commercial spaceflight. The Virgin Space Ship (VSS) Unity spacecraft, carrying the Galactic 01 crew, safely returned to land after a successful journey to space.
The mission utilized the carrier aircraft VMS Eve and the spacecraft VSS Unity. The carrier aircraft took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at 8:30 a.m. MT, carrying the VSS Unity to an altitude of approximately 44,500 feet. At that point, Unity was released and activated its rocket motor engine to propel itself into suborbital space. The spacecraft touched down on land at 9:42 a.m. MT.
The Galactic 01 mission involved a team of four crew members on board the VSS Unity spacecraft. The crew consisted of two astronauts from the Italian Air Force, an engineer-astronaut from the National Research Council of Italy, and an astronaut-instructor from Virgin Galactic who provided training for the Italian Air Force mission. The spacecraft was piloted by retired American Air Force commander Mike Masucci and former Italian Air Force pilot Nicola Pecile.
The carrier aircraft VMS Eve, responsible for transporting the spacecraft, was piloted by retired American Air Force commander Kelly Latimer and retired Canadian Air Force pilot Jameel Janjua.
In addition to the crew, the VSS Unity carried a total of 13 research payloads. The first commercial spaceflight of Virgin Galactic focused on conducting various research experiments in fields such as biomedicine, thermo food dynamics, and the development of sustainable materials in microgravity conditions.
During the flight, the Italian crew members had the opportunity to unfurl their nation’s flag while floating inside the spacecraft, symbolizing their presence and contribution to the historic mission.
Virgin Galactic’s successful first commercial spaceflight marks a significant achievement for the company in its mission to make space tourism accessible to the public and advance scientific research in space.
