At 15:17 UTC on the 10th of August 2023, VSS Unity was released from its carrier plane, VMS Eve, and successfully flew on a suborbital flight into space with six people onboard. VSS Unity touched down at Spaceport America, New Mexico, and was followed by VMS Eve after it had cleared the runway.
The Galactic 02 mission is Virgin Galactic's second commercial spaceflight with three paying passengers; Anastatia Mayers who is 18, Jon Goodwin who is 80, and Keisha Schahaff who is 46. The mission will also have some firsts from the spaceflight industry including, the first female astronauts from the Caribbean, first mother-daughter duo to go to space, first Olympian to go to space, and the youngest person to go to space. Jon Goodwin will also be the second person to travel to space with Parkinson's.
The Crew of VSS Unity from Virgin Galactic was; Commander CJ Sturckow, Pilot Kelly Latimer, and Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses.
The Crew of VMS Eve from Virgin Galactic was; Commander Nicola Pecile, and Pilot Mike Masucci.
What is VSS Unity?
VSS Unity is part of Virgin Galactic's fleet of suborbital spacecraft fleet to allow the company to perform commercial suborbital missions. VSS Unity's engine is powered by a hybrid rocket motor, a mix of solid and liquid propellants, for fifty seconds of burn time to send the spacecraft up to eighty kilometers, the US definition of where space begins. The spacecraft first flew into space suborbitally on the 13th of December 2018. It's also one of the only spacecraft to be flown into space by a pilot instead of just computers.
What is VMS Eve?
VMS Eve is the carrier plane for VSS Unity to bring the spacecraft above forty-five thousand feet before it is released. The plane made its first flight on the 21st of December 2008.
Who is Virgin Galactic?
Virgin Galactic was founded by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group in 2004 with the goal of providing commercial access to space via a fleet of suborbital spacecraft. Virgin Galactic currently sells seats for its spaceflights at a cost of $450,000 per seat. So far the company has launched into space seven times suborbitally including carrying its founder, Richard Branson, on the 11th of July 2021.