[ChiragM]

British billionaire Richard Branson on Sunday soared more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert aboard his Virgin Galactic rocket plane and safely returned in the vehicle's first fully crewed test flight to space, a symbolic milestone for a venture he started 17 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xJmknNK2hs

The gleaming white spaceplane was carried aloft attached to the underside of the dual-fuselage jet VMS Eve (named for Branson's late mother) from Spaceport America, a state-owned facility near the aptly named town of Truth or Consequences. Virgin Galactic leases a large section of the facility.

Reaching its high-altitude launch point at about 46,000 feet (14,020 m), the VSS Unity passenger rocket plane was released from the mothership and fell away as the crew ignited its rocket, sending it streaking straight upward at supersonic speed to the blackness of space some 53 miles (86 km) high.

The spaceplane's contrail was clearly visible from the ground as it soared through the upper atmosphere, to the cheers of the crowd below.

At the apex of the climb with the rocket shut down, the crew then experienced a few minutes of microgravity, before the spaceplane shifted into re-entry mode, and began a gliding descent to a runway back at the spaceport. The entire flight lasted about an hour.

Virgin Galactic has said it plans at least two further test flights of the spaceplane in the months ahead before beginning regular commercial operation in 2022. One of those flights will carry four Italian astronauts-in-training, according to company CEO Michael Colglazier.

He said 600 wealthy would-be citizen astronauts have also booked reservations, priced at about $250,000 per ticket for the exhilaration of supersonic flight, weightlessness and the spectacle of spaceflight.

The spaceplane's two pilots were Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci. The three other mission specialists were Beth Moses, the company's chief astronaut instructor; Virgin Galactic's lead operations engineer Colin Bennett; and Sirisha Bandla, a research operations and government affairs vice president.

His ride-along also upstaged rival astro-tourism venture Blue Origin and its founder, Bezos, in what has been popularized as the "billionaire space race." Bezos has been planning to fly aboard his own suborbital rocketship, the New Shepard, later this month.

A third player in the space tourism sector, Musk's SpaceX, plans to send its first all-civilian crew (without Musk) into orbit in September, after having already launched numerous cargo payloads and astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.

Source: Reuters

[AtheK]

Saw this streamed live yesterday, definitely a landmark moment. This now might not sound so pleasing to a common man because of the price, but then a common man is hardly able to make sense why people spend crores on a car too. For majority of us it comes across as a showoff, but for the one who can afford this, it is definitely an experience of a lifetime.

Hopefully this becomes norm, and becomes economical enough in next 20 years for us to maybe take a flight, I would definitely take a ride once in my lifetime if I can afford it.

[Jeroen]

Another rich git spending huge resources so a few other rich gits can experience a few minutes of her gravity.

I am all for space exploration. But this has nothing to do with it. It doesn’t add anything to space exploration. Just a very decadent and terrible waste of money and resources.

Jeroen

[ABHI_1512]

$250000 per ticket to fulfil someone’s fancy idea, must count as one of the costliest travel ever if not the costliest. Shows if someone has got the resources, one has every right to show off !!

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Another rich git spending huge resources so a few other rich gits can experience a few minutes of her gravity.

I suspect similar sentiments would have been expressed about the first cars in the 1900 which sold for over $1000. This was when the average annual salary was $449.80. But within 24 years, the prices had dropped to a mere $265 thanks to Henry Ford's adaptation of the conveyor belt to the automobile industry.

I suppose that's how the economics of any new idea works. Over a period the prices come down. Mind you, even today, there are a few exotic car brands which are affordable only for a select few.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Just a very decadent and terrible waste of money and resources.

Ummm, those are his resources and I think it is fair he splurge as he thinks fit. While splurging he is creating thousands of jobs and pushing the technology envelope.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Another rich git spending huge resources so a few other rich gits can experience a few minutes of her gravity.

I am all for space exploration. But this has nothing to do with it. It doesn’t add anything to space exploration. Just a very decadent and terrible waste of money and resources.

Jeroen

Oh for crying out loud!.

Mr. R Branson was no hereditary billionaire. He earned it through legitimate means. He was always an exhibitionist but that the way he built the brand. So no more of this "I curse him for he's a rich showoff". Virgin Space flight is no NASA type science-experiment-only venture. Its about giving people a chance in a lifetime to go to outer space and experience it. I echo @RedTerrano's opinion here. Then there is also the first men with their planes. It was all about exhibitionism before commercial aviation brought planes to everyone.

So it's just Mr. Branson who's trying to promote his company and that's just about it. I can't afford it but I won't grudge those who can.

[Mik]

I caught the stream - in between all the shenanigans'. Love the innovative 'feather' concept deployed and completely buy into space tourism. Hopefully, in 10 years, it becomes as cheap as the costliest first class air ticket

However, if we want to use the term 'outer space', I think they were 50,000 feet below that. 100km (330k ft) is generally termed as the start of outer space. This craft went upto 282k feet.

If one can, one should take this option up by both hands! There is no other option. Unless you have a Phd in astrophysics/biostuff, or are the top dog in topgun schools or, are a school teacher on a PR mission (too soon? )

[TorqueIndia]

It is very interesting and were closely observing the developments regarding this project. There is someone who taught every Malayali to explore the world- Mr.SGK (SANTOSH GEORGE KULANGARA) of SAFARI TV (LABOUR INDIA MAG), whom had already enrolled for one of the first space flights with VIRGIN GALACTICS when it starts commercial operations. He had shared his training experience, which were actively happening over the years via his books, TV channel and social media. It's a very interesting project and eagerly waiting for it to finish testing activities in utmost safety.

Few training videos, everything were in Malayalam though.

https://youtu.be/ezqupjSp2Ao

https://youtu.be/wLmP8sF_uT8

https://youtu.be/jH-V-IkthQo

Websites : Santosh George
YouTube : SAFARI
SAFARI TV

This Kerala Travelogue Maker Becomes India's First Space Tourist, All Set To Aboard Virgin Galactic

Another one from BLUE ORIGIN led Mr.Jeff Bezos being readied for its test flight on 20th July 2021, will be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Link

[TrackDay]

At the age of 70, popping a champagne bottle after a space trip is not a bad idea

Although the debate will exist about whether this whole thing is a waste of money or not, I feel it is worthwhile to do something you love as long it doesn't hurt anybody. I recollect Tony Stark's dialogue about "BARF" from 'Civil War' now. "611 million dollars for my little therapeutic experiment. No one in the right mind would ever funded it." I am not vouching for Mr. Branson's personal behavior or how he handles his finances, but for the fact that one should achieve their dream however impossible it may seem. "I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship looking down to our beautiful Earth. To the next generation of dreamers: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do"-Richard Branson

Guys like Richard Branson, Elon Musk etc. don't do what we normal folks do. They envision something when it is impractical and hopeless. This spirit is what gets them to places. Hope the study & results of this journey can be used for the better of mankind in some way. If I had a few millions lying around, wouldn't think twice before getting myself a ticket. Hope they also accept the point miles from Virgin Atlantic

Branson has won the Billionaire space race. Will be interesting to see others catch up.


Flight path of the mission

All image source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-rivals.html

Video with real time sounds from the mission blow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPrB3WvnZpE

[gthang]

Rode in on a bicycle because he "loves" the planet a lot, and then proceeds to burn a small city's amount of fuel consumption in hours.

Dunno what to make of these theatres of absurdity.

Cheers

[Jeroen]

I never get arguments such as it’s his money. It is not whether something is legal and funded correctly, it is about whether it is acceptable on very different criteria. Those are in the eye of the beholder obviously.

Having ran into him a couple of times over the years, I can confirm, he is a true git in every sense of the word. Also, a git who has made many public claims about his worries about the climate and humanity in general.

Make no mistake, this adventure has nothing to do with pushing technology for the sake of humanity, or even space exploration.

Just an old git spending obscene amounts of money on his pet project.

Jeroen

[no_fear]

I will differ with forum members here and side with Jeroen. Unlike Musk, who is visionary and radically changed several industries, Mr Branson is pure hokum.
A quick breakdown on what his enterprise Virgin group has brought to the common man.

Virgin records - defunct music shop
Virgin rail - glorified trains that were grossly overpriced
Virgin airline group - nothing to be awed about, regular airline business
Virgin cola - less said the better.
Virgin books - didn't know they still exist..

The list goes on...

He has done nothing revolutionary but survived on crowd adulation. Name one product he has offered to the masses that has changed our lifestyles in any meaningful way.

Space exploration is a noble pursuit. But what he is doing is just providing bragging rights to the world's richest. Sub orbital space flights are not creating any value addition. Sure the technology may percolate down, but its already been done over the past 50 years. He is just commercializing a part of travel that has been and will remain out of reach for 99.99% of the world's population.

[landcruiser123]

We've reached an age of billionaires with private money competing in the space race! Decades ago, it was the US and USSR competing using taxpayer money. Hate sounding pedantic, but we don't really have to go too far in space. We have a plethora of unexplored spaces on our land and in our oceans. Also, we're not going to solve the problems on earth by finding some magical solution from outer space.

Satellites are extremely useful but do we need to go to Mars? If there's something that will cause the end of life on earth, I do not believe we can really do much to stop it.

[alpha1]

The thread would be more detailed if we get to know what kind of fuel is being used here, what are the exhaust components, and how much this fuel is being consumed per flight.

[V.Narayan]

What a colossal waste of vanity money to appease the vanity and sublimal desire for immortality of one very rich man. Those of us who are rich are trustees of the share of wealth we have received. One lifetime ago it belonged to someone else and one lifetime later it will belong to yet someone else. We are passing travellers holding the urn for a few short decades. In a world where there is no dearth of poverty, lack of healthcare, lack of access to education, infant mortality, hunger and so much more to celebrate spending billions of $ for what is in effect a joy ride is a travesty. In olden days kings through lavish feasts while famine stalked the land. This is the same thing on a 1000X scale. Sadly 50 other billionaires will follow suit.

Our media is also to blame with their Forbes list of billionaires, 40 under 40 and what not. Do they ever write on the Magsaysay award winners or Padma Bhushan winners from the social impact sector - no. Not interesting enough for their audience (us). In a world where about 100 crore children sleep each night without enough or any food in their stomach this kind of expenditure is something beyond cruel.