‘It was just magical’: Virgin Galactic space plane carrying Richard Branson reaches edge of space, returns safely
historic flight from Spaceport America.
Branson and his crew experienced about four minutes of weightlessness before their space plane smoothly glided to a runway landing. The entire trip, delayed 90 minutes because of bad weather the previous night, lasted about an hour. An ecstatic Branson hugged family and friends who greeted him after landing.
“It was just magical,” Branson said. “It’s 17 years of painstaking work, the occasional horrible down – and large ups with it. And today was definitely the biggest up.”
Branson, who turns 71 this week, and a crew of two pilots and three mission specialists space plane VSS Unity release from between the mother ship’s twin fuselages, using rocket power to fly to the boundary of space, more than 50 miles above the Earth.
Tributes – and criticism – rolled in on social media.
“Congrats to @richardbranson the entire team @virgingalactic!,” tweeted Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force. “Your years of hard work dedication paid off today with a flawless flight to the edge of Space.”
You could win a trip on the same Virgin Galactic space plane that flew Richard Branson to space
Branson, a brash, charismatic London native who founded Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984 and Virgin Galactic 20 years later, had planned the flight for later this summer. He moved it up after competitor Blue Origin and its founder, Jeff Bezos, announced plans to ride their rocket into space from West Texas on July 20.
Blue Origin, which in recent days has launched a social media campaign disparaging of Virgin Galactic, softened its tone in the hours before the flight, tweeting: “Wishing you a great flight tomorrow @virgingalactic!”
After the flight, Bezos tweeted: “@richardbranson and crew, congratulations on the flight. Can’t wait to join the club!”
In keeping with Branson’s reputation as a showman, The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert was hosting Virgin Galactic’s livestream of the event. RB singer-songwriter Khalid performed his new song “New Normal” on stage after Branson and his entourage returned to Earth.
Virgin Galactic has plans for two more test flights before commercial service is expected to begin in 2022. The company says more than 600 people already have signed up for flights at an estimated $250,000 per person.
Branson announced that Charity fundraising platform Omaze is giving away two tickets for one of the VSS Unity’s first commercial flights. The winner and one guest are set to be among the first everyday citizens to travel aboard a spacecraft.
The sweepstakes are open through Aug. 31, and donations will support the nonprofit Space for Humanity, which aims to send citizen astronauts of diverse racial, economic and disciplinary backgrounds to space.
“We’re here to make space more accessible to all,” Branson said. “We want to turn the next generation of dreamers into the astronauts of today and tomorrow.”
Blue Origin has not begun to sell tickets but has dismissed Virgin Galactic’s flight plans as failing to actually reach space.
“Only 4% of the world recognizes a lower limit of 80 km or 50 miles as the beginning of space,” Blue Origin tweeted Friday. “New Shepard flies above both boundaries. One of the many benefits of flying with Blue Origin.”