Virgin Galactic’s “Galactic 02” space mission, the first space tourism flight, was a success. The flight was on the VSS Unity spaceplane, with three crew members (one instructor and two pilots) and three tourists on board for a pleasure trip above Earth. The tourists included 80-year-old retired British Olympian John Goodwin, who paid $250,000 for his ticket to space in 2005. The other two are mother and daughter: Kisa Shahaf, 46, and Anastasia Myers, 18, who won free tickets to the trip. This is a historic mission that flew the first Olympian, the first female astronaut from the Caribbean, and most women flown in a single mission to space.

The flight reached about 88 kilometres above Earth, where the passengers had a few minutes to experience weightlessness, out of the total duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes of space travel. “Today, Virgin Galactic took another historic leap forward by flying our first private astronaut mission and demonstrating how our spaceflights will broaden access to space. Jon, Keisha, and Ana each embody our fundamental belief that space is for everyone, and we are proud that today’s flight has inspired people and communities around the world. This is just the beginning, as we plan to continue flying monthly spaceflights while also developing our Delta Class production spaceships to scale our business,” said Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic.

Virgin Galactic’s Female-Led Leap to Space

“It is a surreal and humbling experience to have flown Unity today. The wonder and excitement of spaceflight never lose its magic. I had the honour of being joined in the cockpit by Kelly Latimer, one of the first female commercial spaceship pilots. I’m proud of the work we’re doing here at Virgin Galactic to fly more people to space,” Cj Sturckow, VSS Unity Commander, pointed out. The company will now proceed with post-flight inspections and analysis in preparation for the following commercial space mission, ‘Galactic 03,’ planned for September to continue Virgin Galactic’s monthly flight cadence.

“In my entire career, from the Air Force Academy to being a test pilot for NASA, nothing tops what I have just experienced at the controls of VSS Unity. Going to space today fulfilled an ambition I’ve had since I was a child. It is a privilege to be part of a majority-women crew making history as the most female astronauts flying to space in a single mission,” said Kelly Latimer, VSS Unity Pilot. 

Virgin Galactic: First mother-daughter duo to go to space

The spacecraft carried the three citizens, who were actually the first ordinary citizens to participate in such a mission. Anastasia Mayers and her mother, Keisha Schahaff, from Barbuda and Antigua, won Virgin Galactic flight tickets in a competition. At the same time, 80-year-old Jon Goodwin from the United Kingdom became the second person with Parkinson’s to go into space. As reported by the BBC, he bought his ticket for 250,000 dollars in 2005.

“When I was two years old, I was looking at the sky and thinking ‘How can I get there?’ But being from the Caribbean, I didn’t see how that would be possible. “The fact that I’m here, the first space traveller from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible,” Schahaff said in a statement last month. On the other hand, the 80-year-old Goodwin said that “When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, I was determined not to let it stand in the way of my life. And now going into space with Parkinson’s is absolutely magical.” “I hope this inspires everyone else who faces adversity and shows them that challenges don’t have to stop them from chasing their dreams,” he said.