Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic took a decisive step forward in the space tourism race Thursday, launching its VSS Unity rocketplane, with on board an 80-year-old British Olympian from the Munich 1972 games, Jon Goodwin, and a mother-daughter pair from Antigua and Barbuda, Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers.
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The team guiding this flight were Virgin Galactic commander C.J. Sturckow, pilot Kelly Latimer, and chief astronaut trainer Beth Moses. This marked Sturckow’s eighth spaceflight, Moses’ fourth journey aboard Unity, and a debut flight for Latimer, as well as the three primary passengers.
Branson, the enterprising billionaire behind Virgin Galactic, has tirelessly worked with his team to transition from test flights to commercial ventures, presenting brief experiences of weightlessness for individuals willing to invest $450,000 for the privilege.
Keisha Schahaff, having been selected through a lottery benefitting Space for Humanity – a nonprofit devoted to expanding space accessibility, stated before the flight, “The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible.”
Jon Goodwin, who secured his ticket back in 2005 and has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s since 2014, expressed his gratitude, noting the unparalleled beauty of Earth from space. “That was by far the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Goodwin said after landing. “The thing that surprised me more than everything else was the beauty of the Earth from space. It is completely surreal.” “I’ve got some fast cars, but that acceleration was just unbelievable. Thank you Virgin Galactic,” he continued. “It’s been 20 years for the wait. But it’s been worth every moment of it. Thank you.” Virgin Galactic’s competition in the commercial spaceflight arena includes Blue Origin, owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos. Despite offering commercial sub-orbital flights since 2021, Blue Origin has faced its challenges, being currently grounded to address a booster issue. This successful flight by Virgin Galactic not only bolsters their position in the space tourism industry but also signifies an increasing accessibility of space travel. With the waiting list boasting 800 eager applicants, Virgin Galactic plans to increase flight frequency to once a month. The future of civilian space travel is here, at least for the wealthy.” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>flight
marked a significant stride for the company, and for the former Olympian and the first mother-daughter team from the Caribbean to journey into space.
Keisha Schahaff, a health and wellness coach, shared her elation post-flight, saying, “That was like the most amazing thing I’ve ever done!”
“Antigua went to space! A childhood dream has come true. I’ve been to space and back with my daughter. We’re making history, and this is just beautiful,” she continued. “The pilots, everyone, they delivered exactly what they said it would be. And if anyone was wondering, Earth is round!”
Anastatia Mayers, Schahaff’s daughter and a student at Aberdeen University, was similarly moved, stating simply, “The only thought I had the entire time was ‘wow,’ that’s how I can sum up the experience. Just wow.”
This momentous journey took the spacecraft to a peak altitude of almost 55 miles, surpassing the 50-mile threshold recognized as the boundary of space by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. Those onboard were treated to breathtaking views of Earth and a few minutes of weightlessness.
The team guiding this flight were Virgin Galactic commander C.J. Sturckow, pilot Kelly Latimer, and chief astronaut trainer Beth Moses.
This marked Sturckow’s eighth spaceflight, Moses’ fourth journey aboard Unity, and a debut flight for Latimer, as well as the three primary passengers.
Branson, the enterprising billionaire behind Virgin Galactic, has tirelessly worked with his team to transition from test flights to commercial ventures, presenting brief experiences of weightlessness for individuals willing to invest $450,000 for the privilege.
Keisha Schahaff, having been selected through a lottery benefitting Space for Humanity – a nonprofit devoted to expanding space accessibility, stated before the flight, “The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible.”
Jon Goodwin, who secured his ticket back in 2005 and has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s since 2014, expressed his gratitude, noting the unparalleled beauty of Earth from space.
“That was by far the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Goodwin said after landing. “The thing that surprised me more than everything else was the beauty of the Earth from space. It is completely surreal.”
“I’ve got some fast cars, but that acceleration was just unbelievable. Thank you Virgin Galactic,” he continued. “It’s been 20 years for the wait. But it’s been worth every moment of it. Thank you.”
Virgin Galactic’s competition in the commercial spaceflight arena includes Blue Origin, owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos. Despite offering commercial sub-orbital flights since 2021, Blue Origin has faced its challenges, being currently grounded to address a booster issue.
This successful flight by Virgin Galactic not only bolsters their position in the space tourism industry but also signifies an increasing accessibility of space travel. With the waiting list boasting 800 eager applicants, Virgin Galactic plans to increase flight frequency to once a month.
The future of civilian space travel is here, at least for the wealthy.
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