The spaceship carrying Branson and the others detached from the carrier aircraft about 45 minutes after launch, once it reached an altitude of about 45,000 feet and a designated release point in the airspace.
The flashy, Branson-flavored Virgin Galactic event - with a livestream hosted by late-night host Stephen Colbert and a concert by singer Khalid - aimed to increase potential customers’ confidence and interest in the flight experience, which costs hundreds of thousands of dollars for a seat. The crewed flight marks a shift years in the making, as companies edge into launching recreational trips to space - efforts they hope will eventually prove profitable. Pacific time from a New Mexico spaceport near the city of Truth or Consequences. The carrier aircraft with the spaceship attached to its belly took off around 7:40 a.m.
Nearly 17 years after that proclamation, he finally did it.īranson, along with five other Virgin Galactic employees - two pilots and three others who were testing parts of the in-cabin experience, including research opportunities - launched to suborbital space Sunday on the company’s first flight with a full crew aboard. In 2004, British billionaire Richard Branson proclaimed he would fly into space on his company’s spaceship in just three years to kick off what he hoped would become a routine travel experience, drinks and all.
