PREVIEW - Billionaire Richard Branson To Fly As Mission Specialist On Virgin Galactic Spaceship

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2021) British billionaire Richard Branson will fly on the next test flight of his Virgin Galactic Unity spacecraft probably later this month, the company announced in a press release.

"I truly believe that space belongs to all of us," Branston said in the release on Friday. "After more than 16 years of research, engineering, and testing, Virgin Galactic stands at the vanguard of a new commercial space industry, which is set to open space to humankind and change the world for good."

The mission will be the 22nd flight test for Unity and the company's fourth crewed spaceflight. It will also be the first to carry a full crew of two pilots and four mission specialists including company founder Branson, Virgin Galactic said.

"Branson will evaluate the private astronaut experience and will undergo the same training, preparation and flight as Virgin Galactic's future astronauts. The company will use his observations from his flight training and spaceflight experience to enhance the journey for all future astronaut customers," the release said.

Virgin Galactic Holdings, which is a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, said the flight window for the next rocket-powered test flight of the spacecraft will open on Sunday, pending weather and technical checks.

The mission will seek to evaluate the commercial customer cabin with a full crew, including the cabin environment, seat comfort, the weightless experience, and the views of Earth that the spaceship delivers, the release said.

"It's one thing to have a dream of making space more accessible to all; it's another for an incredible team to collectively turn that dream into reality. As part of a remarkable crew of mission specialists, I'm honored to help validate the journey our future astronauts will undertake," Branston said in the release.

The flight's other three mission specialists will be Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor at Virgin Galactic, Colin Bennett, Lead Operations Engineer at Virgin Galactic and Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations at Virgin Galactic, the release said.

The pilots for the mission are Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, the release added.