VSS Unity
Image: Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic, owned by British billionaire Richard Branson, made a suborbital flight, taking off and landing from New Mexico yesterday, July 11th.
The billionaire was present on the flight alongside two pilots and three passengers on the flight. The spacecraft used was the VSS (Virgin Space Ship) Unity, which took off with the help of an aircraft (VMS Eve) that carried the Unity up to about 15 kilometers of altitude. After that, Unity disconnected from Eve, fired its rockets, and continued to climb to about 50 miles in altitude.
The altitude reached is enough for the US government to recognize it as the boundary between Earth and space and grant Astronaut Wings to anyone who exceeds that altitude. However, the internationally recognized line to the beginning of space is 100 km high.
VMS Eve, utilizada para lançar a Unity
Cory W. Watts, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
There are other programs aimed at space tourism, such as initiatives by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and entrepreneur Elon Musk, among others.
Since Unity is a suborbital spacecraft, meaning it can't get enough speed and altitude to keep it in space and circle the globe, the flight provided partial weightlessness and a view of Earth that few have ever had. the opportunity to see.
This type of travel is still very restricted, as a seat on this ship costs $250,000. However, the trip marks the beginning of an era in which space tourism can be present in people's lives.
The flight took about an hour and a half. Upon returning, the ship opened the movable wings, which allowed the vehicle to fly to Earth and glide to the base in safety.
Watch the flight on the external link below.
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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