Blue Origin has launched 31 people so far, but flights are on hold following a rocket crash last fall. Like Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin aims for the fringes of space, quick ups-and-downs from West Texas. In contrast, the capsules used by SpaceX and Blue Origin are fully automated and parachute back down. Passengers can unstrap from their seats, float around the cabin for a few minutes and take in the sweeping views of Earth, before the space plane glides back home and lands on a runway. Once the mothership reaches about 50,000 feet (10 miles or 15 kilometres), the space plane is released and fires its rocket motor to make the final push to just over 50 miles (80 kilometres) up. Virgin Galactic’s rocket ship launches from the belly of an airplane, not from the ground, and requires two pilots in the cockpit. ![]() About 800 people are currently on Virgin Galactic’s waiting list, according to the company. Italian military and government researchers soared in June on the first commercial flight. Branson, the company’s founder, hopped on board for the first full-size crew ride in 2021. ![]() ![]() It was Virgin Galactic’s seventh trip to space since 2018, but the first with a ticket-holder. Also on board: two pilots and the company’s astronaut trainer. He was joined by sweepstakes winner Keisha Schahaff, 46, a health coach from Antigua, and her daughter, Anastatia Mayers, 18, a student at Scotland’s University of Aberdeen.
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