Virgin Galactic takes first tourists to edge of space

WASHINGTON: Virgin Galactic (VG) on Thursday successfully carried its inaugural group of tourists to the edge of space, marking a significant milestone for the company.

According to Al Jazeera, among the passengers were an individual who had purchased his ticket nearly two decades ago and a mother-daughter pair from the Caribbean.

The reports said that the spacecraft safely returned to Earth, touching down on a runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico’s desert. During the short flight, passengers experienced a brief period of weightlessness, a sensation that elicited cheers from onlookers below.

As per the reports, in contrast to other space tourism approaches, Virgin Galactic employed a launch system where the rocket ship was released from an aircraft, not from the ground. The method involved two pilots in the cockpit.

The spaceplane was released at an altitude of about 15 kilometres (10 miles) before its rocket motor ignites, pushing it to an altitude slightly over 80 kilometers (50 miles). During this, passengers could unstrap from their seats, experience weightlessness, and enjoy panoramic views of Earth. The spaceplane then safely glided back to Earth, executing a runway landing, as reported by the media.

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Jon Goodwin, an 80-year-old former British Olympian who had obtained his ticket back in 2005, expressed his enduring optimism in realising this dream. Goodwin, who competed in canoeing during the 1972 Olympics, lives with Parkinson’s disease and aims to inspire others facing obstacles. He said, “I hope it shows them that these obstacles can be the start rather than the end to new adventures.”

Meanwhile, the cost of tickets has risen from $200,000 at the time of Goodwin’s purchase to the current rate of $450,000. Accompanying Goodwin on this journey were Keisha Schahaff and her 18-year-old daughter Anastatia Mayers, both selected through a sweepstakes. Keisha is a health coach from Antigua, while her daughter is a student at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The spaceplane also hosted its two pilots and the company’s astronaut trainer.

This successful mission marked VG’s seventh venture into space since 2018, with Richard Branson, the company’s founder, having participated in the first full-size crew ride in 2021. The recent flight also highlighted the growing interest in space tourism, with around 800 individuals currently on Virgin Galactic’s waiting list.

Despite the inherent risks associated with adventure travel, such as the recent tragedy involving the Titan submersible, and VG’s own past setback in 2014, where a test flight ended in a fatal crash, the allure of space tourism endures.

The trend began in 2001 with the first Russian-launched space tourist. Richard Branson, watching the recent flight from Antigua, initiated a lottery system to select the first 50 customers, known as the Founding Astronauts, and determined that Jon Goodwin would have the honor of leading this groundbreaking endeavor due to his age and his battle with Parkinson’s.