As reported by Olhar Digital, Virgin Galactic carried out its last tourist spaceflight on Saturday (8) before a two-year break to upgrade its fleet, aiming to finally achieve profitability that has not been reached yet.
“[Mission crew members] Galactic07 are back on solid ground, now as astronauts!”, the company posted on X (formerly Twitter), celebrating the successful mission comprised of two pilots and two passengers.
“Our pilots, crew, and spaceship have landed safely at Spaceport America, New Mexico.”publicidade#Galactic07 is back on terra firma, now as astronauts! Our pilots, crew, and spaceship have landed safely at Spaceport America, New Mexico.
(Brasília time), the carrier aircraft VMS Eve took off and ascended to an altitude of about 13,500 meters for 50 minutes.
Then, the spaceship VSS Unity was released from the vehicle, flying at supersonic speed to the edge of space, where passengers experienced a few minutes of zero gravity and gazed at the curvature of the Earth.
Among the crew members was Tuva Atasever, an astronaut from the Turkish space agency. He secured his spot through the space company Axiom.
The other passengers, revealed after landing, were Anand “Andy” Harish Sadhwani, a propulsion engineer from SpaceX, Irving Izchak Pergament, an airplane pilot and real estate developer from New York, and Giorgio Manenti, an Italian investment consultant.
During the flight, Atasever wore customized helmets with sensors to monitor brain activity and collect physiological data. Additionally, he tested the effectiveness of administering precise doses of insulin in microgravity using commercially available insulin pens.
Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin Group, was on the inaugural flight of Virgin Galactic, which made history as the first private company to take tourists to space. Credit: YouTube Virgin Galactic screenshot.
This was the seventh commercial flight of Virgin Galactic, founded in 2004 by British tycoon Richard Branson. The company competes in the suborbital tourism market, with Blue Origin, led by Jeff Bezos, as its main competitor.This was also the last flight of VSS Unity.
Virgin plans to replace it with two next-generation ships of the “Delta class,” currently under construction in the U.S. state of Arizona, with tests scheduled for 2025 and commercial operations to begin in 2026.publicidadeRead more:Virgin Galactic’s financial situation raises concerns.
According to the AFP news agency, Virgin Galactic has been experiencing significant financial losses, with over $100 million (almost R$530 million) lost in each of the past two quarters, leaving its reserves at $867 million at the end of March.Moreover, the company laid off 185 employees at the end of last year.
Currently, its stocks are trading at 85 cents, a considerable drop from 2021’s $55, the year Branson made a flight that made global headlines.
The Delta spacecraft, although similar to Unity, will be able to carry six passengers, two more than the current four. Seat prices will be $600,000 (almost R$3.2 million), and the company projects up to 125 flights per year, aiming to reverse the current negative situation.
However, some analysts remain skeptical. “Investors in Virgin Galactic can expect essentially zero revenue for the next 18 to 30 months – and that’s if all goes as planned,” projects The Motley Fool, a private financial and investment advisory firm from the U.S.