(NEW YORK) — Virgin Galactic is launching its first fully commercial flight of the SpaceShipTwo space plane, the company announced.
The ship will carry four people and launch around 11:00 a.m. ET, which will be available to watch via livestream. The trip is expected to last about 90 minutes.
The mission, known as Galactic 01, will see the team conduct 13 experiments examining thermo-fluid dynamics and the development of sustainable materials in microgravity conditions.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 29, 9:20 AM EDT
What is Virgin Galactic?
Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight company founded by British businessman Richard Branson.
The company says its goal is to take paying customers to the edge of the space, in a similar vein to Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin.
In 2021, Virgin Galactic received approval from the U.S. government to take customers on spaceflights.
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