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Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is a pioneering space venture firm that is in intense preparation for the first ever 2-1/2 hour suborbital flight aboard an 8-seater spacecraft that will ferry tourists into outer space.


Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is conglomerate of the Virgin Group of companies owned by flamboyant British businessman Sir Richard Branson.

So far, Virgin Galactic has recruited around 200 people to be part of its inaugural flight which will blast off at the Mojave Desert Spaceport in California sometime in 2011. But, the flight does not come cheap. The quick jaunt into space beyond the earth's atmosphere and in zero gravity weightlessness will be available to passengers or space tourists at around $200,000.

The initial group of Virgin Galactic space tourists that have booked a firm reservation includes actress and skin-care entrepreneur Victoria Principal who at 57 is excited about the color of her space suit, Hollywood film director Brian Singer and Soviet emigrant Lina Borozdina-Birch who took a second mortgage of her house just to be on the trip. Also booked are husband and wife team of George and Loretta Whitesides, who wants to spend their honeymoon on a space vehicle. And, other space junkies, actors, real estate magnates, CEO's and rich adventurers who can afford the staggering fee have also put up a down payment for an otherworldly trip.

Space tourists who will be part of the Virgin Galactic commercial operations will undergo a series of preparatory tests and weightlessness exercises to acquaint them with the conditions aboard the space vehicle during the flight. In the pre-flight briefing, space tourists will have the opportunity to ask relevant questions and participate in discussions about the flight itself to keep passengers fully involved and well-informed.

The space flight will be an experience of a lifetime and the space cabin is fully equipped to savor every second of the trip that promises to be intense, wonderful and truly unforgettable. The main objective of Virgin Galactic is to provide a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience until you bid adieu to the spaceport. Each passenger will have a fully documented record of the whole trip and of course his or her astronaut wings.

The Virgin Galactic spacecraft built by Scaled Composites will be strapped to the underbelly of a specially designed jet carrier. At 50,000 feet while still airborne, the spacecraft will be released to continue the journey on its own. As the built-in power surges ahead, passengers are instantly pinned on their seats with acceleration reaching 3,000mph (4 times the speed of sound). Once the spacecraft stabilizes, passengers can view the cobalt blue sky through the large windows, as it changes from hue to mauve, then indigo and finally to black.

And then the senses take over. The silence of space is expected to be deafening and immediately one would surely feel that gravity governing life on earth is no longer present in space. Passengers will see themselves finally floating and the experience with Virgin Galactic will be truly exhilarating. Most likely, they will see an image of the earth that's familiar only with textbooks, photos and recently over the Internet.

Here's a likely scenario. Once the reality of gazing at planet Earth in all its serenity strikes, the passenger immediately feels at home as a flood of emotions engulf the senses to make them want to cry; or maybe laugh. After a while, the pilot would then ask every passenger to buckle down for the return trip to Earth.

Virgin Galactic has a base in the Mojave Desert in California. The company is also building its "Spaceport America" in New Mexico with the help of Foster Partners and URS team as the world's first commercial spaceport.



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