If you have about $250,000 to spare, good news: space tourism is just around the corner for you.
On Monday, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo completed a successful rocket-powered supersonic flight, pushing the ship into the final phases of testing. SpaceShipTwo (SS2) took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port mated to WhiteKnightTwo (WK2). After a 45-minute flight, travelling to an altitude of 47,000 feet, SS2 was released from WK2. It then launched forward up to 55,000 feet reaching a speed of Mach 1.2. The entire flight lasted about 10 minutes.
The next stage is to push the speed of SS2 even further. Once all testing is successful, the company plans on having scheduled departures from Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world designed for the public.
Virgin Galactic is owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s aabar InvestmentsPJS.
Want to book a flight? Virgin Galactic Booking
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