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Virgin Galactic on Saturday completed a space travel success, a sign of progress for the space tourism company founded by Richard Branson after a series of delays in its flight schedule.
Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity company reached an altitude of 89.2 kilometers before returning two pilots to a runway in New Mexico, the company said, marking its first successful flight in two years. The spacecraft also conducted NASA-funded research experiments.
Saturday’s launch brought Virgin Galactic closer to its goal of offering commercial spaceflight in 2022 as it competes with that of Jeff Bezos Blue origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX for companies in the nascent market.
Virgin Galactic has faced several setbacks, including one fatal accident in 2014, on the road to commercial space tourism. The launch this weekend was initially scheduled for December, but the company canceled that flight after a problem with electromagnetic interference.
In March, one of Virgin Galactic’s largest investors, technology investor Chamath Palihapitiya, sold the rest of its personal stakes in the company for about $ 200 million.
Palihapitiya, who still owns shares indirectly through a special-purpose acquisition company he used to make public at Virgin Galactic, said he would continue to support the company’s efforts and redirect revenue to climate initiatives.
Shares of Virgin Galactic have fallen about two-thirds from a high of $ 62.80 in February, giving the company a market capitalization of $ 5.1 billion. Shares bounced back later this week after Virgin Galactic announced Saturday’s test flight.
Virgin Galactic plans to complete three more test flights before it opens to the public next year, placing it behind Blue Origin in the race to launch civilians into space. Sir Richard is expected to take part in the second of the next releases.
Blue Origin recently opened bidding for a passenger seat on its first commercial space flight, with a high offer of $ 2.8 million.
The launch, scheduled for July 20, would be the first commercial flight to cross the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized edge between the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. Virgin Galactic’s test flight exceeded the US standard space limit.
SpaceX became the first private company to orbit humans last year. *
A spokesman said Virgin Galactic has received $ 85 million in deposits after selling tickets at a starting price of $ 200,000 for bookings on future flights.
*This story has been modified to make it clear that SpaceX was the first company to bring humans into orbit, not space.
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