After a long wait Virgin Galaxy confirmed when they will start their commercial space flights. Richard Branson’s firm has announced that it will travel with the first customers before the end of this month, if there are no inconveniences.
According to what was reported on his website, the launch window for his first space mission will be from 27 to 30 June. The flight in question, called Galactic 01, will take place on the VSS Unity ship and will be distinguished by the presence of a scientific component, and not so much a tourist one.
Virgin Galactic has confirmed that the crew for its first commercial space flight will be made up of three members of the Air Force and the Italian National Research Council. The intention of travelers is to take advantage of the flight to conduct research in the field of microgravity.
“Spaceflight with a scientific payload on board will demonstrate the value and power of the unique suborbital science laboratory offered by Virgin Galactic,” the company said. Thus, representatives of Richard Branson want to demonstrate that their mission not only seeks to attract the attention of people with a lot of money in their pockets.
Virgin Galactic finally launches commercial flights
If Virgin Galactic completes its first commercial flight on time, a second mission (Galactic 02) is already scheduled for August. In this case, it will be a purely tourist trip for those who have already been baptized as “private astronauts”. The firm is expected to announce the members of said team closer to the launch window.
If there are no kickbacks, the idea of the company offer monthly flights from Galactic 03. Although there is no detailed schedule yet, and the ambitious plan may undergo adjustments. However, it’s not bad that Virgin Galactic is starting to live up to the promise of several years. Not only for those who paid $450,000 for a guaranteed ticket to the edge of space, but also for the future expectations of this private space firm.
We mean that Virgin Galaxy operating at a loss since its inception, and in recent years the numbers have become monstrous. Between 2020 and 2021, it brought in just $3.5 million and lost about $1 billion. So far in 2022 alone, the Reds have gone for another $500 million.
Virgin Galactic aims to achieve positive cash flow by 2026, but to do so, it needs to start flying into space and do it consistently. The new Delta-class suborbital spacecraft are expected to debut in 2025, replacing VSS Unity and VSS Imagine. In addition, new baseships will be launched in the same year, which will be produced by Aurora, a subsidiary of Boeing. Both platforms promise to dramatically accelerate the pace of business travel.
In the meantime, all eyes will be on the launch of his first commercial flight into space. If all goes well, we’ll have to wait a little more than a week for it to materialize. Virgin Galactic knows that the whole world is watching her, and she must take advantage of this.. The Galactic 01 and Galactic 02 missions can be followed live via streaming through the company’s website.
Source: Hiper Textual
