Virgin CEO and billionaire Richard Branson, alongside his spaceflight company Virgin Galactic, has successfully completed its first fully-crewed test flight, travelling to the edge of space and ushering in a world of commercial spaceflight.
Virgin Galactic first fully manned spaceflight. Credit: Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic has completed its first fully-manned spaceflight. Credit: Virgin Galactic
Travelling on the VSS Unity on the afternoon of June 11, Branson fulfilled his promise of being present for the company's maiden voyage after having pulled forward the date of the launch ahead of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
Read more: Richard Branson picks July 11 for space travel
Blue Origin's first flight is set to take place on June 20 - 52 years to the day after the first moon landing.
Branson pulled forward the date in a bid to beat Bezos to space. The two have remained fierce rivals in the race towards commercial spaceflight.
This flight marks the 22nd test flight for the VSS Unity but the first fully-manned one. The craft reached a speed of Mach 3 after disengaging from the mothership, the VMS Eve and reaching an altitude of 53.4 km above the Earth before landing at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
Branson described the event as the "experience of a lifetime".
Michael Colglazier, Virgin Galactic's CEO said the trip represented a new landmark for the company and for commercial spaceflight.
"With each successful mission, we are paving the way for the next generation of astronauts. I want to thank our talented team, including our pilots and crew, whose dedication and commitment made today possible. They are helping open the door for greater access to space – so it can be for the many and not just for the few," he added.
Virgin Galactic has been selling seats for its commercial operations since 2005. The company reports hundreds of people have already purchased a spot in these ships, with tickets going for as much as $25,000.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is also considered to be part of this space race, has also purchased a ticket for a trip on one of Galactic's ships.
“Elon’s a friend and maybe I’ll travel on one of his ships one day,” Branson told The Sunday Times.
While the billionaire space race has caught the attention of millions of people, it has also drawn the ire of a number of people who consider it to be a waste of money and a show of necessary extravagance.
Teddy Schleifer, founding partner of Puck News told CNN Business that the billionaire space race "isn't a luxury beat about the rich and famous doing crazy stuff," but rather indicates people with enormous wealth using their money in "fascinating ways".
He expressed concern over how these people continue to perpetuate inequality but highlighted that many try to take their vast wealth and attempt to do "amazing things" for humanity, which he feels should be the focus of coverage from the space race.
Others also consider the private nature of these ventures to be an issue when compared to the public funding that brought along bodies such as NASA, which some critics argue makes them less accountable.
Read more: Billionaire space race counts down to liftoff
Another point of contention is the overall high costs of spaceflight, which could otherwise be used to tackle climate change or to allow for the world's richest men to "give back" to their communities. Criticism has also been levied at these billionaires for commercialising spaceflight as a way to allow humanity to escape from climate change rather than actively trying to deal with it.
There is also the issue of emissions within the space industry itself, which some say the US is doing little to regulate.
- You can watch footage of the flight here:
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