Sir Richard Branson has made Space Tourism a reality
After 17 years of development, Virgin Galactic has finally unveiled the VSS Imagine. It is the first in a new class of spacecraft, and it will enter testing this Summer. It was towed onto the tarmac yesterday by a new Range Rover Astronaut Edition at their headquarters in New Mexico. Allowing commoners to leave the atmosphere will also slash travel times from hours to minutes, and their goal is to reach 400 flights per year.
Much like its predecessor, it will be carried up to 50,000 by a mothership before a rocket shoots everyone to an altitude of 68 miles. Because it doesn’t have the speed to reach orbit, it won’t be exposed to intense heat on reentry. Over 600 tickets have already been sold thanks to the successful test flights of the prototypes, and the passengers will be in for a 2.5-hour ride. With a range of 2,600 nautical miles, it would be nice to have a transcontinental vacation getaway. We enjoy bringing you the best in travel and leisure opportunities, so hopefully, we will have a full review of the experience in the near future. Stay with us as the countdown approaches.
Images (C) Virgin Galactic