Yes, it finally happened. After many years of struggles (it all began in 2004) and failed attempts (notable the one in 2014) Virgin Galactic became on July 11 the first company to reach space in a commercial flight. Many will follow, opening a new chapter of the space adventure. It is maybe too early to talk about space tourism as a normal occurrence, but make no mistake: this is huge, and it’s the beginning of a space more accessible to normal people, not just hyper-fit, fully trained professionals. The proof? Richard Branson, the owner of the company, was on board of the spacecraft, Unity.
To read the fascinating story of Virgin Galactic and how this was made possible, have a look at this BBC link. To know all the details about Branson’s flight, this is a good starting point.
Branson beats Bezos in his race to space, but now all eyes are set on Blue Origin and its maiden flight, on which Bezos has already said he will be on board, too. When? 20 July, in a week or so. Save the date.