[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Virgin Galactic, a private space exploration company led by British billionaire Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group, has successfully completed the third test flight of its manned spacecraft developed for space tourism. Virgin Galactic is reportedly planning to launch full-scale space tourism operations starting next year.
According to foreign media including the AP on the 22nd (local time), Virgin Galactic announced that it safely completed the third test flight of its spacecraft 'Unity.' This marks Virgin Galactic's first successful spaceflight in 2 years and 3 months since February 2019. The carrier aircraft 'Eve,' carrying the spacecraft 'Unity,' took off from the Spaceport America launch site in New Mexico, USA, and ascended to an altitude of 44,000 feet (13.4 km). Then, 'Unity,' with two pilots onboard, separated from Eve while firing its rocket engine, reaching an altitude of 55.45 miles (89.2 km), before safely returning to the launch site.
Virgin Galactic stated that with the success of this third test launch, it is closer to its goal of starting space tourism next year. So far, Virgin Galactic has pre-sold space tourism tickets priced between $200,000 and $250,000 to approximately 600 customers.
Before commencing space tourism, Virgin Galactic plans to conduct an additional test flight by the end of this year, sending two pilots and four employees into space. Chairman Branson is also expected to participate in this flight.
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