Counting down to the first fully crewed space flight mission for Virgin Galactic - delayed due to weather....

This afternoon we are going to see the very start of something amazing, something that has been so long in the making,  and far far longer in the dreaming!

Today, Virgin Galactic's "Unity 22" mission takes off, it will be the twenty-second flight test for VSS Unity and the company’s fourth crewed spaceflight. It will also be the first to carry a full crew of two pilots and four mission specialists in the cabin, including the Virgin Galactic's founder, Sir Richard Branson, who, as astronaut 001, will be testing the private astronaut experience.

Mission "Unity 22" will focus on cabin and customer experience objectives, including:

Evaluating the commercial customer cabin with a full crew, including the cabin environment, seat comfort, the weightless experience, and the views of Earth that the spaceship delivers — all to ensure every moment of the astronaut’s journey maximizes the wonder and awe created by space travel

Demonstrating the conditions for conducting human-tended research experiments

Confirming the training program at Spaceport America supports the spaceflight experience

This also paves the way for commercial passenger flight experiences to space, or as near as possible to fly in weightless conditions.  RB said   "We are at the vanguard of a new industry determined to pioneer twenty-first-century spacecraft, which will open space to everybody — and change the world for good." laudable sentiments for sure and also rather a lucrative business, with passenger flight tickets in the £100,000s and the firm's value said to be nearly £3 billion. 

After today's flight, Richard will announce something remarkable, we expect this to be when he tells us what date the first scheduled passenger flights will be taking off,  and of course when tickets will be on sale. Maybe even a competition, for those that don't have quite such deep pockets will still get a chance to get to the stars - or perhaps we're just dreaming about that!

Our editor in chief Jason Shaw is counting down to the event,  "I'm oddly excited about the launch of this first fully crewed mission for Virgin Galactic. Not to the same level as I was watching the first space shuttle take off all those years ago, but pretty much close to it, for I can remember Richard Branson talking about going into space one day.  It seems so long ago that he held the dream,  back in the days he was doing all those high and long-distance balloon flights, yet it is a dream he has clung on to. A dream that started to become a reality with the formation of Virgin Galactic some 16 years ago. Now that dream really is a reality, he is actually doing what he always said he would do - be one of the first passengers in space. 

I have no doubt there will be regular passenger space flights within a year.  Within five years I predict there will be longer passenger space flights with maybe two or three complete earth orbits. In seven to ten years we could be seeing passenger flights to the moon - complete with a surface walk experience!  And all of that starts with today's first flight, so that's why I'm excited. Good luck Sir Richard and the entire crew, for today, all of our dreams rest upon your shoulders."  

Virgin Galactic will livestream the event to watch on Virgin Galactic.com and will be simulcast on the Virgin Galactic Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook channels. The flight was scheduled for 7:00 am MDT / 9:00 am EDT / 2:00pm BST / 1:00pm GMT today,  however, due to overnight weather,  this has been delayed to 7:30 am PT | 10:30 am ET | 3:30 pm BST.

But that's not all, have you heard about Galactic Unite?   It's not a secret, but it's not as widely known about as it should be. Galactic Unite is Virgin Galactic’s outreach initiative born out of a unique collaboration between the Future Astronaut customer community and Virgin Unite, the independent entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group and the Branson family.

Together they seek to drive positive change for young people by channelling our collective energy and resources – working to ensure that future generations are equipped to apply the space perspective to Earth’s greatest challenges.

Galactic Unite offers both practical support and a planetary perspective to the engineers of the future. It harnesses the power of space to support and inspire young people to pursue an education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). "Galactic Unite is the brainchild of our amazing international community of Virgin Galactic Future Astronauts. As pioneers of the second space age, they are helping to make an important new industry a reality. Through Galactic Unite they are combining their resources and the excitement surrounding their upcoming spaceflights as a force for good and as an inspiration to young people from all over the world." Said Sir Richard Branson. 

 For more details, you have to travel in space to this very link  https://www.galacticunite.com/

Damn, those spacesuits and boots look so cool, don't they? 

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