Virgin Galactic will fire off a test rocket in May to set up a launch of its long-awaited consumer flights.
The test, dubbed Unity 25, is slated for late in the month and is expected to be the final launch before the company opens flights to customers who have been waiting nearly a decade to orbit Earth in one of Virgin’s rockets.
The launch will include six people: pilots CJ Sturckow and Mike Masucci, Virgin internal communications employee Jamila Gilbert, flight science engineer Christopher Huie, astronaut instructor Luke Mays and head of astronaut training Beth Moses.
The flight is expected to reach 50 miles above Earth, the boundary of what the U.S. government recognizes as outer space. The flight is expected to last two hours.
If all goes according to plan, customers may get to experience spaceflight as early as next month.
Virgin has faced numerous setbacks as it tries to compete with other companies that want to provide space experiences for paying customers. After the company successfully launched billionaire founder Richard Branson into space in 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation into the company, citing technical concerns.
Despite the agency giving the all-clear notice a few months later, Virgin further delayed commercial flights. Since the 2021 Branson flight, the company has launched only one rocket, and it did not reach the same heights.
The company has struggled financially for a few years since Mr. Branson sold off a large portion of his shares in 2021. In April, sister company Virgin Orbit filed for bankruptcy. The company has also had to compete with Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin.
Virgin has sold nearly 800 space flight tickets, with some people buying them a decade ago. Tickets now go for around $500,000.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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