Virgin Galactic live updates: Galatic 01 crew safely returns to Earth
The company wants it to mark a new era of space flight being easily accessible.
Virgin Galactic launched its first fully commercial flight of the SpaceShipTwo space plane called VSS Unity Thursday.
The ship carried four people and launched around 11:00 a.m. ET, which was available to watch via livestream, taking them to the edge of outer space.
The mission, known as Galactic 01, saw the team conduct 13 experiments examining thermo-fluid dynamics and the development of sustainable materials in microgravity conditions.
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Galatic 01 crew returns to Earth
Virgin Galactic announced the pilots, crew and VSS Unity spaceplane have safely returned to Earth.
The entire trip -- from takeoff to reaching the intended altitude of 50 miles above the planet's surface to landing -- took about an hour and a half.
For future trips, the company said it plans to take paying customers to the edge of outer space. About 800 tickets have already been sold for between $200,000 and $450,000.
Breaking down the Galactic 01 flight
The group took off on VSSUnity, a suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane, attached to a bigger "mothership" aircraft called VMS Eve.
VMS Eve launched similar to a commercial airplane and, when it reached more than 40,000 feet, it released VSS Unity, firing its rocket engine.
VSS Unity then reached its intended altitude of 50 miles above Earth's surface, which is considered the edge of outer space. After spending a few minutes in zero-gravity, it began free-falling and heading back to the spaceport in New Mexico for landing.
Virgin Galactic's spaceplane has taken off
Virgin Galactic announced its spaceplane, VSS Unity, has taken off from the spaceport in New Mexico and is currently climbing to its altitude goal, 50 miles above Earth.
"VSS Unity is currently climbing to release altitude. Our #Galactic01 crew from the @ItalianAirForce & @CNRsocial_, are preparing to conduct 13 scientific research experiments throughout the stages of flight," the company tweeted.
These are some of the experiments the Galactic 01 crew will conduct
During the Galactic 01 mission, the four-person crew are conducting 13 experiments, the company said.
Some will be related to space such as measuring cosmic radiation in the mesosphere, between 30 and 50 miles above Earth, an altitude where limited data has been collected.
Others involve thermo-fluid dynamics including whether certain liquids transform into gases at high altitudes and others will develop specific foams that are very hard to produce on Earth.
The last will be related to human vitals and include examining how circadian rhythms are affected by microgravity, studying any changes in the cells that line blood vessels and comparing heart and skill MRIs before and after the flight.
