SpaceShipTwo has arrived at Spaceport America
We are only months away from the advent of the historical spaceflight revolution. Thanks to Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, space travel will become available to ordinary people who are hungry for unearthly experiences.
The VSS Unity from Richard Branson, head of the Virgin Group, has just appeared in the famous Spaceport America in New Mexico, from where the first and regular tourist flights to the cosmic border are to take place. The engineers are to conduct tests of the machine and VMS Eve as well as the operation of the entire port there in the coming weeks.
The object is ready to welcome space tourists. A few months ago we could see in the films how beautifully and luxuriously the interior of the port was decorated. There is a hotel part as well as a hall and bar where customers can prepare for the flight and relax after it.
The company will ultimately use as many as three machines. Two of them are already available for testing, while the third is under construction. Virgin Galactic also already conducts regular training for all those who bought tickets and are determined to fly. Richard Branson also recently presented costumes for space tourists, footwear and jackets. They were designed and sewn together with experts from the famous Under Armor company.
Each suit will be individually made to measure, and it will contain the flag of the tourist's country of origin and his name. Clothing was designed among the world's largest specialists, including astronauts, pilots, doctors, extreme sports fans and, of course, stylists and fashion designers. The suits contain Rush technology, thanks to which the muscles will be stimulated and thus regenerate faster. Meanwhile, the soft lining and special fabrics will ensure thermal comfort.
Virgin Galactic wants to initiate flights to the space border, every 30 hours. This is necessary because there is so much interest in this type of travel. Richard Branson revealed that almost 3,300 people are currently interested in the flight. It should be emphasized that these are people who are 100 percent prepared to fly mentally and physically, and also bought tickets for 250 thousand dollars. The number of customers is increasing every day.
Although the ticket price can be frightening for many, it is almost certain that it will drop over time. This is due to fierce competition in the form of Blue Origin and its New Shepard rocket and Crew Capsule 2.0. Price drops will also accelerate development and revive interest in this branch of the space industry.
Interestingly, Boeing has recently invested in the Virgin Galactic project as part of its HorizonX Ventures fund. However, the American group has slightly larger plans to cooperate with Richard Branson. Well, in the following years he will invest in projects related to supersonic travels around the planet. The boss of the Virgin group builds the successor to the famous Concorde. The machine is expected to appear in the sky in 3 years and shorten travel between global cities by more than 3 hours.