A dream journey to space will soon get the concrete shape with Richard Branson' s spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. The company's CEO assures about the commercial spaceflights in 2018.
A much-discussed spaceplane of Virgin Galactic, SpaceShip Two, may begin its journey before the end of 2018. The uniquely designed spaceplane have the ability to carry two pilots and six passengers to an altitude of about 100kilometers or 62 miles. SpaceShip Two is an air-launched suborbital plane.
According to Space.com, the passengers of the suborbital spaceplane will experience microgravity during the time of suborbital hop. After a fatal accident in 2014, Richard Branson has been very careful about his schedule projections. It was the test flight of the first vehicle of Virgin Galactic when the founder of the company faced serious accident.
In a recent interview, the billionaire entrepreneur uttered that the passengers will experience the spaceflight by the end of 2018. Galactic Ventures is the spaceflight division of the Virgin Group and Virgin Galactic company belongs to that spaceflight division. George Whitesides, the chief executive of the Galactic Ventures and former staff chief of NASA, utters positively about the said spaceflight program. He says that the expectations about the commercial flights in the next year are realistic.
A few days ago Sir Richard Branson, the Founder of the Virgin Galactic, has positively opined about the upcoming journey of the SpaceShip Two. Space News reported that he has uttered that the suborbital vehicle will soon carry him with other customers into space. Though, he declined to produce any particular schedule about these flights.
Recently, the Virgin CEO met with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and addressed important sides of the regulations in the space industry. While responding to the question of Sen. Tom Udall, the New Mexico Democrat, Whitesides revealed the important plan. He said that Virgin Galactic is looking forward to having a major transition of the company staff to New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic wants to establish its spaceflight service commercially at the Spaceport America in New Mexico. Just five years ago this Spaceport was completed bearing a cost of approximately $220 million. The required construction funds to build the spaceport were created from bonds, state oil, and the gas taxes.
Tom Udall uttered that a good number of New Mexicans are expecting to cherish the commercial spaceflight operations soon. The testing of the Virgin spaceships' planned fleet is undergoing in Mojave, California. Three glide flights have so far been conducted by the spaceship, VSS Unity. Though, no official words from Virgin Galactic have surfaced about the first powered test flight of VSS Unity.
Even Virgin Galactic has not revealed the number of flights that will be performed before the beginning of the commercial service. So far 500 people have joined the list to take the ride of the SpaceShip Two. Virgin is selling tickets for $250,000. The initiative taken by the spaceflight company is obviously amazing.
