Virgin Galactic is ready for its first spaceflight in almost two years.
Virgin Galactic will send its next crew into space no sooner than Thursday (May 25) at 10 am EDT (8 am MDT) from Spaceport America in New Mexico. While the events will not be broadcast live, you will likely be able to watch them on Virgin Galactic Twitter.
Eight crew members, all Virgin Galactic employees, will participate. It is the fifth time the company has ventured into space and the first since July 11, 2021, when Virgin Group founder Richard Branson was one of the passengers. (The company has been updating and testing its vehicles ever since.)
The spaceflight will see two pilots from the VMS Eve transport plane take the VSS Unity spaceplane to an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet (15,000 meters). Eve will then launch Unity, the two pilots of which will use the spacecraft’s rocket engine to fly four crew members beyond 50 miles (80 kilometers), high enough to reach space by some definitions.
Virgin Galactic has said the flight, known as Unity 25, will be the last test before commercial service begins. Follow along with the flight and its crew members in the gallery below.
Related: Meet the 8 people who will fly on Virgin Galactic’s fifth spaceflight on Thursday
Virgin Galactic uses a transport plane, VMS Eve, and a spacecraft called VSS Unity for spaceflight. Here the duo are seen during the Unity 24 test flight. (Image credit: Virgin Galactic)
Unity 25’s VSS Unity Commander Mike Masucci, left, shakes hands with fellow Virgin Galactic pilot Dave McKay after a previous flight, as seen in a still image from a company video . (Image credit: Virgin Galactic)
CJ Sturckow, VSS Unity pilot on Unity 25, is a former NASA astronaut who flew four Space Shuttle missions before joining Virgin Galactic. Here he prepares for command of the STS-128 mission during training with NASA in 2009. (Image credit: NASA)
Jameel Janjua, Commander of Unity 25’s VMS Eve, in a screenshot from a 2013 Canadian Armed Forces promotional video. Janjua previously served as a weapons instructor and fighter pilot. (Image credit: Canadian Armed Forces)
Unity 25 crew member Beth Moses, a Virgin Galactic Lead Astronaut Instructor, has been in space on two previous Virgin Galactic flights. Here, Moses looks out the window of VSS Unity during a test flight with pilots Dave Mackay and Michael “Sooch” Masucci on February 22, 2018. (Image credit: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic Unity 25 crew member and mission specialist Christopher Huie in a simulator before spaceflight, in a still image from a training video. (Image credit: Virgin Galactic)
Mission specialist Jamila Gilbert during a training flight, ahead of Unity 25 spaceflight with Virgin Galactic, in a still image from training video. (Image credit: Virgin Galactic)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24696805/LIPMAN_JL74047.JPG "VW ID Buzz Introduces Three-Row Electric Microbus For The US With More Power And Space")
