13th July 2021 – In a world where people are still unable to meet each other and have strict COVID-19 travel restrictions, on the past Sunday, Virgin Galactic’s Spaceflight brought the first in-flight live-stream to the world. Virgin is competing with the likes of Tesla where the space travel has moved from the government sector to private companies.
Sunday’s flight was the first flight in space with complete crew in a cabin. The spacecraft traveled at a speed of Mach 3 (equivalent to 3,704 kph) after it separated from the mother unit. The vehicle traveled for 86 kilometers in space.
CEO of Virgin Galactic, Michael Colglazier, 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. They are helping open the door for greater access to space – so it can be for the many and not just for the few.” With this spaceflight, Virgin has step-up the space tourism game globally and has achieved a spectacular milestone in this journey to the future.
The crew which traveled included Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor; Colin Bennett, Lead Flight Operations Engineer and the Company’s founder, Sir Richard Branson. The crew also included an Indo-American, Sirisha Bandla who is Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations. It was indeed a proud moment for all Indians as well.
