Virgin Galactic Successfully Flys Its Founder into Space, Indication of Bright Prospects for Space Tourism

Discourse on a space tourism industry aka space tourism closer to reality. Last July 11th, Virgin Galactic managed to fly its founder, Sir Richard Branson, along with five others out of the mesosphere. The moment was broadcast live, and you can watch replayhis di channel YouTube Virgin Galactic.

Before skyrocketing itself to a speed of Mach 3 (± 3.704 km/hour), the VSS Unity rocket plane that Branson et al was traveling on was first carried by the mother plane VMS Eve. When it reaches an altitude of about 46.000 feet (± 14.020 meters), then VSS Unity is released and flies by itself to an altitude of 86 kilometers.

At that point, the VSS Unity rocket engine was turned off, and passengers experienced microgravity - not until zero gravity, but it can provide a feeling of carelessness — for a few minutes while enjoying the panoramic view of the Earth, before the plane finally glides back and lands. In total, the flight lasted for about an hour.

According to Branson, the first test moment with a full cabin crew (2 crew, 4 passengers) is very important for Virgin Galactic because it can provide an idea of ​​what kind of space tourism experience will be offered to potential customers. In the next few months, Virgin Galactic plans to undergo two more tests before finally starting commercial operations in 2022.

It is said that so far there have been 600 people who are willing to buy tickets for Virgin Galactic's maiden flight next year. The prices are definitely not cheap — about $250.000 per ticket — but the long-term vision is to keep those fares as low as $40.000 per ticket, and execute about 400 flights annually.

But Virgin Galactic isn't the only company busy making the discourse happen space tourism this came true. Blue Origin, a rival company founded by Jeff Bezos, will also run test flights on July 20. Just like Branson, Bezos as the founder of the company will also be a passenger.

What's different, Blue Origin claims it will present a more authentic space travel experience, because its plane called New Shepard will fly to a height of 100 kilometers before finally sliding back to Earth. The point of elevation of 100 km, according to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, is the Kármán Line, aka the line that separates Earth's atmosphere from outer space.

Virgin Galactic on the other hand uses the standard set by NASA, which considers anyone who manages to reach an altitude of 80 km as an astronaut. Regardless of the height, the experience offered by both companies is more or less the same.

When it comes to space missions run by private companies, we certainly shouldn't forget SpaceX. In September, the company founded by Elon Musk intends to fly four people into orbit (about 540 km) for several days. According to UBS, the value of the industry space tourism estimated to reach $3 billion per year by 2030.

Sumber: Reuters.