Virgin Galactic Makes History with Launch of VSS Unity, Taking Space Tourists on Their First Rocket Ship Ride

Virgin Galactic has made history with the launch of its VSS Unity rocketplane, carrying 80-year-old former British Olympian Jon Goodwin, mother-daughter duo Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers from Antigua and Barbuda, and three other crew members. This marks the first time a mother and daughter have flown in space together, and the first time Virgin Galactic has taken space tourists on a rocket ship ride.

The flight was made possible by a fundraising lottery for the nonprofit Space for Humanity, which offered tickets to the flight. Goodwin, a canoeist in the 1972 Munich games, and Schahaff and Mayers won the tickets and were joined by Virgin Galactic commander C.J. Stuckow, pilot Kelly Latimer and chief astronaut trainer Beth Moses for the up-and-down sub-orbital spaceflight.

The launch of the VSS Unity marks a major milestone for Virgin Galactic, as the company is now joining Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism business. If all goes well, Virgin Galactic will begin offering monthly trips to customers on its winged space plane.

The launch of the VSS Unity is a major step forward for Virgin Galactic and the space tourism industry. It marks the first time a mother and daughter have flown in space together, and the first time Virgin Galactic has taken space tourists on a rocket ship ride. With the success of this flight, Virgin Galactic is now joining the ranks of Blue Origin and SpaceX in the space tourism business, and could soon begin offering monthly trips to customers.