Billionaires in Space
FEATURED PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRGIN GALACTIC
It is an interesting time for space exploration. We seem to be on the cusp of a significant shift in space travel, thanks to the efforts of billionaires and their companies.
Richard Branson is the First of the Billionaires
In a statement to USA Business Radio and other media, we learn:
“Virgin Galactic… announced that VSS Unity successfully reached space, completing the Company’s fourth rocket-powered spaceflight.
“Today’s flight was the 22nd test flight of VSS Unity and the first test flight with a full crew in the cabin, including the Company’s founder, Sir Richard Branson. The crew fulfilled a number of test objectives related to the cabin and customer experience, including evaluating the commercial customer cabin, the views of Earth from space, the conditions for conducting research and the effectiveness of the five-day pre-flight training program at Spaceport America.
“Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic, said: ‘Today is a landmark achievement for the Company and a historic moment for the new commercial space industry. With each successful mission we are paving the way for the next generation of astronauts. I want to thank our talented team, including our pilots and crew, whose dedication and commitment made today possible. They are helping open the door for greater access to space – so it can be for the many and not just for the few.’
“VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve. The vehicle reached space, at an altitude of 53.5 miles, before gliding smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America.”
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Jeff Bezos is Next
In a statement to USA Business Radio and other media, we learn:
“Blue Origin successfully completed New Shepard’s first human flight… with four private citizens onboard. The crew included Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen, who all officially became astronauts when they passed the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.
“Upon landing, the astronauts were greeted by their families and Blue Origin’s ground operations team for a celebration in the West Texas desert.
A Historic Mission
- Wally Funk, 82, became the oldest person to fly in space.
- Oliver Daemen, 18, was the first ever commercial astronaut to purchase a ticket and fly to space on a privately-funded and licensed space vehicle from a private launch site. He also became the youngest person to fly in space.
- New Shepard became the first commercial vehicle under a suborbital reusable launch vehicle license to fly paying customers, both payloads and astronauts, to space and back.
- Jeff and Mark Bezos became the first siblings to ever fly in space together.
“’Today was a monumental day for Blue Origin and human spaceflight,’ said Bob Smith, CEO, Blue Origin. ‘I am so incredibly proud of Team Blue, their professionalism, and expertise in executing today’s flight. This was a big step forward for us and is only the beginning.’
“Blue Origin expects to fly two more crewed flights this year, with many more crewed flights planned for 2022.”
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