On Thursday, Virgin Galactic, the publicly traded spaceflight company, shared a new photo on social media of its next-generation spaceship being towed outside its factory in Mesa, Arizona.
Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded 22 years ago by Sir Richard Branson, was established to make spaceflight accessible to the public. Nearly two decades ago, hundreds of people began purchasing tickets for suborbital flights. After a prolonged and at times fatal development process, the company reached outer space—defined as an altitude of 80 km and above—in December 2018.
The company launched its first passenger flights in May 2021 using the VSS Unity spacecraft. In 2023, Virgin Galactic completed six successful spaceflights. However, in June 2024, the company paused VSS Unity operations to prioritize the development of its next-generation vehicle, designed for more frequent and lower-cost spaceflights.
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