Technology

Virgin Galactic To Launch Second Commercial Space Flight Next Month

By Dave Simpson
Virgin Galactic To Launch Second Commercial Space Flight Next Month

Virgin Galactic Holdings has said that the space tourism startup will launch its second commercial flight in a window that opens next month after a successful first flight in June.

Catering To Burgeoning Demand For Commercial Space Operations And Space Travel

The firm is among the few U.S.-based space companies, along with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX, to cater to the burgeoning demand for commercial space operations and space travel.

Shares Rise

Shares of the company founded by British billionaire Richard Branson rose about 3% in trading before the bell on Thursday 13 July, after having gained 11% so far this year.

Crew, Pilots And Flight Manifest For Mission To Be Released Later

Details on crew, pilots and the flight manifest for the mission set to launch in a window opening on 10 August, will be released later, the company said.

A Long-Delayed Breakthrough After Nearly 20 Years Of Setbacks

A three-member crew of its first-mission 'Galactic-01' made the brief suborbital ride, marking a long-delayed breakthrough for the company, finally inaugurating commercial service after being fraught with development setbacks for nearly 20 years.

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Booked A Backlog And Future Goal

Virgin Galactic had earlier said it has already booked a backlog of some 800 customers, charging most from $250,000 to $450,000 per seat, and envisions eventually building a large enough fleet to accommodate more than one flight a day.

Live Streamed

The 'Galactic-02' mission will also be live streamed on the company's website.

Read More: Virgin Galactic Completes Inaugural Commercial Spaceflight

News by Reuters, edited by Hospitality Ireland. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.