Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists – a mother and daughter and Olympian – complete hero walk for historic flight
- Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists prepare for their flight into space
- The crew consists of a mother and daughter, along with a former Olympian
- The crew will hover 50 miles above the Earth’s surface during the mission
Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists hugged their friends and family on the “hero’s walk” before traveling to the Spaceport launch pad for their epic journey to the final frontier.
Antiguan mother-daughter duo Keisha Schahaff, 46, and Anastatia Mayers, 18, and retired British Olympian Jon Goodwin, 80, will make history for the company founded by Richard Branson when they venture into space.
The crew will lift off from New Mexico at 10:30 a.m. ET in the spaceplane attached to a “mothership” aircraft carrier.
The planes will ascend to about 14,000 feet above the Earth’s surface, where they will separate and the spaceplane will carry the three new astronauts more than 50 miles above sea level, allowing passengers to enjoy incredible views of Earth.
Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists hugged their friends and family on the ‘hero’s walk’ before traveling to the Spaceport launch pad for their epic journey to the final frontier
The mother and daughter won their places in a competition, and Goodwin bought his place in 2005 for $250,000 – he will be the first Olympian to travel into space.
Schahaff and Mayers won free tickets for the one-off commercial trip.
Virgin Galactic has already booked a backlog of 800 customers vying for their chance to go to space, made possible by the company’s inaugural mission in June.
Tickets sold for $250,000 but have since risen to $450,000.
The crew departed the hangar in streamlined Rang Rover vehicles and headed for the launch pad, less than a mile away, where Unity and Eve, the mother ship, have been waiting.
The crew has bonded since they began training for spaceflight. Meyers checked in with Goodwin during the hero walk to make sure he was okay and ready to go
The crew boards Unity and Eve, blasting off the runway and ascending to the sky.
Unity will then ignite and disable its thruster once it reaches space.
At the apex of the flight, the spaceplane is expected to open its wings and soar above our planet’s atmosphere, allowing the crew to experience weightlessness and epic views of the final frontier for a few minutes.
The official live stream of the mission is live on the company’s website and YouTube channel.
“The future of space travel has arrived,” the company says on its website.
“The livestream countdown begins just before the spaceship is released.”
Today’s historic Galactic 02 mission will have six people on board, including three Virgin Galactic employees: Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Kelly Latimer and Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses.