Virgin Galactic to launch its 3rd manned mission with three passengers on Sept 8

Richard Branson's space tourism company Virgin Galactic is preparing for its next manned mission. According to an official statement from the company, the next mission named Galactic 03 will carry three passengers aboard the VSS Unity on September 8. The timing of the launch, however, is yet to be announced. The Galactic 03 mission would mark Virgin Galactic's fourth overall spaceflight in four months. 

L-3! Tailcone views as we continue to prepare for the #Galactic03 mission currently on schedule for this Friday, September 8. pic.twitter.com/NDDAB2VY9H

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) September 6, 2023

The company even shared a video featuring the VSS Unity spacecraft parked at the Spaceport America in New Mexico.

"The pilots for ‘Galactic 03’ are VSS Unity Commander, Nicola Pecile, and Pilot Michael Masucci; the Astronaut Instructor is Colin Bennett. The VMS Eve Commander is Jameel Janjua accompanied by Pilot Kelly Latimer," the company said in its statement. 

According to Virgin Galactic, the passengers of Galactic 3 mission are the first of Virgin Galactic’s group of ‘Founder’ astronauts and they bought the tickets for a spaceflight as early as 2005, a year after the company was founded. "In the past twelve weeks, Virgin Galactic has introduced eleven new astronauts to the world. Following the ‘Galactic 03’ spaceflight, the customers on board would become Virgin Galactic astronauts 014, 015 and 016," the statement further said. 

The spaceflight of Virgin Galactic involved two spacecraft - the VMS Eve and the VSS Unity. The VMS Eve hauls the VSS Unity upto an altitude of about 50,000 feet and drops it which gives the passengers a sense of weightlessness. The spacecraft last flew on August 10 and three persons including the first-ever mother-daughter duo were launched. Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers also became the first astronauts from the Carribean.