Virgin Galactic made New Mexican history Saturday after launching its first rocket-powered flight from Spaceport America to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, making it the third state to put humans in space.
A release from Virgin Galactic said the VSS Unity was released from its mothership, VMS Eve, and was able to reach Mach 3. After reaching an altitude of 55.45 miles, it glided to a runway landing at Spaceport America.
"After so many years and so much hard work, New Mexico has finally reached the stars. Our state’s scientific legacy has been honored by this important achievement, one that took guts and faith and an unwavering belief in what New Mexico can achieve – and indeed is destined to achieve. I can’t wait to see what comes next. We are on the cutting edge, the forefront of innovation, and I plan to do everything in my power to keep us there, taking full advantage of our robust economic and scientific potential. On behalf of proud New Mexicans everywhere, I’m incredibly grateful to so many dedicated and visionary collaborators in this effort, not least Sir Richard Branson and former Governor Bill Richardson, the entire Virgin Galactic team and Spaceport America team who made this long-awaited day possible,” New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham said in a release.
Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said in the Virgin Galactic release he is proud to make the dream of private space travel a reality.
“Today’s flight showcased the inherent elegance and safety of our spaceflight system, while marking a major step forward for both Virgin Galactic and human spaceflight in New Mexico. Space travel is a bold and adventurous endeavor, and I am incredibly proud of our talented team for making the dream of private space travel a reality. We will immediately begin processing the data gained from this successful test flight, and we look forward to sharing news on our next planned milestone,” Colglazier said in the release.
Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said the launched maked an important milestone for his company, and for New Mexico, and thanked the state for continued support and belief in the possibility of making commercial space travel able.
“Fifteen years ago, New Mexico embarked on a journey to create the world’s first commercial spaceport. Today, we launched the first human spaceflight from that very same place, marking an important milestone for both Virgin Galactic and New Mexico. I am proud of the team for their hard work and grateful to the people of New Mexico who have been unwavering in their commitment for commercial spaceflight from day one. Their belief and support have made today’s historic achievement possible,” Branson said in the Virgin Galatic release.
According to a CNBC report, the VSS Unity is outfitted to hold up to six passenger and two pilots. So far, the company has approximately 600 ticket reservations for future flights. Ticket prices range between $200,000 and $250,000 each.
Virgin Galactic other two previous commercial space flights were launched from the Mojave Desert in California, before moving the operational base to the $218.5 million Spaceport America in New Mexico, CNBC reported.
CNBC said that three NASA-funded scientific research payloads were also on the mission. Colglazier said this helps generate revenue for the company and makes future flights possible.