Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity with booster engaged during the Unity 25 mission in May. [Courtesy: Virgin Galactic]
Key Takeaways:
Virgin Galactic successfully launched its "Galactic 01" mission from Spaceport America, marking its first commercial spaceflight with paying customers.
The VSS Unity spacecraft carried a crew of Italian researchers and engineers who conducted scientific experiments in a zero-gravity environment at the edge of the atmosphere.
This mission follows previous delays and aims to validate the technology for future regular commercial flights, with the next mission, Galactic 02, planned for August, paving the way for recreational space tourism.
On Thursday morning, a crew of pilots and Italian researchers and engineers left the grounds of Spaceport America aboard a spaceship, hardly disturbing the sand as it took off from a runway in the middle of the Jornada del Muerto desert.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
