A first tourist space flight in early 2021 for Virgin Galactic

The departure into space for everyone does not yet have a precise date, but now has a year. Space tourism company Virgin Galactic estimated on Monday that it would be able to make a first tourist flight into space in the first quarter of 2021, with the dispatch of its founder Richard Branson.

The billionaire should be able to fly away next year, provided that the two manned test flights scheduled for the fall "bring the expected results," the statement said. This flight should then be the kick-off for commercial flights: 600 people have already bought their ticket for space for the sum of $ 250,000, for which the flight is a matter of months, assured the company. Virgin Galactic also lifted the veil last week on the luxurious interior of its commercial vessel called SpaceShipTwo Unity.

Providing safety without distraction, quietly absorbing periods of sensory intensity, and offering each astronaut a level of intimacy required for personal discovery and transformation. Take a look at the interior design of our spaceship cabin. https://t.co/mHy1c3JWUB pic.twitter.com/CQfDjTCZg3

Several minutes in zero gravity

This futuristic starship is designed to carry six passengers. The Virgin Galactic spaceship is dropped at altitude by a carrier plane and then fires its rocket engine for about a minute to climb straight up to the sky and reach space. At the peak of the trajectory, the passengers float for several minutes in zero gravity. The ship then descends and hovers to the airstrip. The development of this futuristic vessel had been delayed in particular by an accident in 2014 when a handling error by one of the two pilots had caused the disintegration of the aircraft in flight.

The Virgin Galactic company also revealed on Monday the design of its high-speed Mach 3 aircraft. The machine will have a capacity of 9 to 19 people and will fly at an altitude above 60,000 feet.

AFP