Science

Virgin Galactic is launching its first commercial research mission named “Unity 23” along with the Italian Air Force to the edge of space, it said on Thursday.

The space travel company has set late September or early October as the time for the mission that will carry three paying crew members from the Air Force and the Rome-based government agency National Research Council.

The crew will study the effect on the human body as they move from gravity to a low-gravity atmosphere and provide insights for future spaceflight systems and technologies.

The mission follows a successful first crewed test flight to space by Virgin Galactic’s passenger rocket in July.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a deviation in the descent of the flight that took billionaire Richard Branson to space.

The company had said in July that it plans at least two more test flights of the spaceplane before beginning regular commercial operation in 2022.

One of those flights will carry four Italian astronauts-in-training, according to Chief Executive Michael Colglazier.

© Thomson Reuters 2021


For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro With Up to 30 Hours of Battery Life, AptX Adaptive Codec Support Launched in India

Related Stories

Articles You May Like

Trump faces assets seizure as $464m bond deadline looms
Starmer speaks of ‘frustration’ at Boris Johnson’s ‘unforgiveable failure’ to level up
King ‘frustrated’ by speed of recovery and ‘pushing’ staff to return to duties, his nephew says
Ranking the top 10 pass-catchers in college football for 2024
Conspiracies to compassion: How the tone in the US has changed after Kate’s cancer announcement