- Virgin Galactic is preparing to launch its first spaceflight in nearly two years on Thursday.
- Called Unity 25, the mission represents the company’s fifth spaceflight to date and is the first since founder Sir Richard Branson’s launch to the edge of space.
- It’s a pivotal moment in the history of Virgin Galactic, which has suffered repeated setbacks, several disasters and years of delays in developing its spaceflight system.
The VMS EVE aircraft carries the VSS Unity spacecraft during a test flight.
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is preparing to launch its first space flight in nearly two years on Thursday, as the space tourism company aims to pass a final test before flying commercial passengers.
Called Unity 25, the mission represents the company’s fifth spaceflight to date and will launch out of Spaceport America in New Mexico. It marks a “final assessment” flight, with six Virgin Galactic employees on board for a short trip to the edge of space.
Virgin Galactic will not publicly livestream the flight, unlike its previous spaceflight that carried founder Sir Richard Branson in July 2021. Instead, the company plans to provide Unity 25 progress updates on social media.
The carrier aircraft VMS Eve is expected to lift off around 10 am ET, carrying the company’s VSS Unity spacecraft to an altitude of about 40,000 feet before releasing the rocket-powered vehicle. VSS Unity will fire its engine, aiming to climb to 80 kilometers (or about 262,000 feet) – the height recognized by the US as the limit of space.
Known as sub-orbital, this type of spaceflight gives passengers a few minutes of weightlessness, unlike the longer, more difficult and more expensive private orbital flights conducted by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Depending on the outcome and data gathered from Unity 25, the company aims to fly its first commercial mission in “late June.”
VSS Unity will be piloted by Mike Masucci and CJ Sturckow of Virgin Galactic, while the carrier aircraft VMS Eve will be flown by Jameel Janjua and Nicola Pecile. Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses was in the passenger cabin, as were astronaut instructor Luke Mays, senior engineering manager Christopher Huie, and senior manager of internal communications Jamila Gilbert.
An aerial view of the carrier aircraft VMS Eve, left, and spacecraft VSS Unity, at Spaceport America in New Mexico on Feb. 27, 2023.
Virgin Galactic
Unity 25 represents a pivotal moment in the history of Virgin Galactic, which has suffered repeated setbacks and years of delays in developing its spaceflight system.
Branson’s space flight nearly two years ago came after nearly 17 years of work, and more than a billion dollars invested in the company. Before that, the spacecraft’s development saw several disasters, including a rocket engine explosion on the ground in 2007 that killed three Scaled Composite employees, as well as the crash of the first SpaceShipTwo vehicle, the VSS Enterprise, in 2014 which killed Virgin Galactic co-pilot Michael Alsbury and injured pilot Peter Siebold.
After Branson’s spaceflight, Virgin Galactic paused operations for a longer-than-expected refurbishment period while the company worked on its spacecraft and carrier aircraft, following an FAA investigation into a mishap during his trip. The refurbishment process was intended to take about eight to 10 months, but ended up taking about 16 months.
Virgin Galactic has yet to make a significant profit, and needs to fly regular spaceflights to do so. While the company has nearly $900 million in cash and securities, its quarterly cash burn continues to increase as it invests heavily in expanding its spacecraft fleet.
Virgin Galactic needs to bring its future Delta class to market to fly weekly flights, but those spacecraft aren’t expected to begin flying until 2026.
VSS Unity is designed to hold up to six passengers including two pilots. The company has 600 reservations for tickets on future flights, which are being sold at prices between $200,000 and $250,000 each. It reopened ticket sales in 2021, with prices starting at $450,000 per seat.
