Elon Musk still leads the pack, but Virgin keeps plugging along
The excitement is building for the liftoff of Virgin Galactic’s seventh commercial spaceflight, known as Galactic 07. The launch window for this mission opens at 8:30 am MT (10:30 am EDT or 1430 GMT) on Saturday, June 8, departing from Spaceport America in southwestern New Mexico.
Successful take-off from @Spaceport_NM confirmed! Let’s go #Galactic07! pic.twitter.com/liY1s0mGRq
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) June 8, 2024
The crew of Galactic 07 will include Tuva Atasever, a backup astronaut for Axiom Space Mission 3 (Ax-3) from the Turkish Space Agency, along with three private astronauts. Virgin Galactic typically keeps the identities of its private astronauts under wraps until the launch, but they have revealed that the astronauts hail from California, New York, and Italy. This mission marks Virgin Galactic’s second flight of 2024, following the Galactic 06 flight earlier this year, which saw the first Ukrainian woman reach suborbital space.
Securing a spot on one of these flights is a significant investment, with tickets priced at $450,000. Passengers aboard Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and be treated to a breathtaking view of Earth—a sight few people ever get to see.
Commanding the VSS Unity, Virgin Galactic’s suborbital spaceplane, will be Nicola Pecile and pilot Jameel Janjua. Meanwhile, the VMS Eve, the mothership aircraft that will carry Unity to a high altitude before the spaceplane ignites its rocket engine, will be piloted by Commander Andy Edgell and C.J. Sturckow.
Successful take off of the @virgingalactic VMS Eve and VSS Unity and the start of the #galactic07 mission! pic.twitter.com/zXEhooWSfg
— Alex (@Zander_Starship) June 8, 2024
In addition to its human passengers, the suborbital spaceflight will carry research payloads from Purdue University and the University of California, Berkeley. Purdue’s experiment will investigate propellant slosh in fuel tanks of maneuvering spacecraft, while U.C. Berkeley will test a new type of 3D printing in microgravity.
Virgin Galactic has a history of flying payloads for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program since 2018 and was recently selected as a contracted flight provider for NASA for the next five years.
Axiom Space, a private spaceflight company based in Houston, has already completed three crewed trips to the International Space Station (ISS) and is preparing for its fourth mission (Ax-4), which is targeted for October at the earliest. Axiom Space has partnered with Virgin Galactic on several previous flights, reinforcing their shared commitment to enabling access to space and facilitating scientific discovery beyond Earth.
“Axiom Space’s commitment to enabling access to space and providing opportunities for scientific discovery beyond Earth aligns closely with Virgin Galactic’s mission,” stated Tejpaul Bhatia, chief revenue officer of Axiom Space. “We are very excited about this upcoming Galactic 07 flight.”
🚀 L-1: A message from Researcher Astronaut Tuva Atasever (@AstroTuva) about how he’s feeling before his journey to space! #Galactic07 pic.twitter.com/xy5nn8tRWS
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) June 7, 2024
The Galactic 07 mission follows the January incident where an alignment pin detached unexpectedly from VMS Eve after VSS Unity separated. Although no one was in danger during the flight, Virgin Galactic promptly notified the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct an investigation and ensure future missions are free from similar issues. Corrective measures have been implemented to prevent a recurrence on Galactic 07.
As anticipation builds for the upcoming launch, Virgin Galactic continues to advance its vision of making space accessible to more people, offering a unique blend of adventure and scientific research that pushes the boundaries of human experience.
Major Points:
- Virgin Galactic’s seventh commercial spaceflight, Galactic 07, is set to launch on June 8 from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
- The crew includes Tuva Atasever from the Turkish Space Agency and three private astronauts from California, New York, and Italy.
- Tickets for the flight cost $450,000, offering passengers a few minutes of weightlessness and a unique view of Earth.
- The mission will carry research payloads from Purdue University and U.C. Berkeley, focusing on propellant slosh and 3D printing in microgravity.
- A previous issue in January was resolved with corrective measures, ensuring the safety and success of the upcoming Galactic 07 mission.
Conner T – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News