Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Flies Tourists to Space for First Time

Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity Flies Tourists to Space for First Time Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity, a reusable rocket-powered space plane, successfully flew six tourists to space for the first time on Thursday. The mission, known as Galactic 02, took off shortly after 11am ET from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The flight reached an altitude of 55.5 miles (89.3 kilometers), which is above the internationally recognized boundary of space. The passengers on board experienced a few minutes of weightlessness and got to see the curvature of the Earth. The flight was a major milestone for Virgin Galactic, which has been developing its space tourism business for over a decade. The company plans to start selling tickets to the public later this year, with a price tag of $450,000 per seat. The successful flight of VSS Unity is a sign that space tourism is becoming a reality. In the coming years, we can expect to see more and more people taking trips to space, as the cost of space travel c...