The dawn of a new era

The world’s first commercial manned spaceship, VSS Enterprise, which is being developed by US space tourism company Virgin Galactic, achieved its first piloted free flight on 10th October 2010 in Mojave CA.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, who was present to witness the flight later described it as “one of the most exciting days in the whole history of Virgin”. He went on to say: “The sky is no longer the limit. We will now begin the process of pushing to the final frontier of space itself over the next year”.

VSS Enterprise was described by Scaled Composites pilot Pete Siebold as “a joy to fly” and the company confirmed that all objectives of the flight were successfully completed.

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) today dedicated the nearly two-mile long “Governor Bill RIchardson Spaceway” at Spaceport America, representing significant progress toward launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico.

Governor Bill Richardson, Sir Richard Branson and approximately 30 of more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts attended the event along with guests from around the world and watched a flyover and landing by Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo, in a captive carry with SpaceShipTwo.

“We are celebrating the world’s first spaceway at the world’s first purpose-built, commercial spaceport,” said Governor Richardson. “New Mexico is not only helping to launch the commercial spaceflight industry, but we are launching new jobs and opportunities for the people of southern New Mexico. Today marks a significant milestone on our historic and exciting journey.”

When I was a kid I thought it was pretty cool that my dad was involved at Rockwell helping develop the systems that sent man to outer space. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to one day be in a position to send my clients as tourists to space!

A few years ago I had the opportunity to become an Accredited Space Agent booking reservations on the world’s first commercial space line, Virgin Galactic. The project has come a long way since we started and the milestones keep getting more exciting as we move ever closer to commercial operations!

I’m proud to be one of the most successful ASA’s in the world and hope you’ll give me a call if you’re really interested in becoming a part of this historic movement. Booking with me in these early days will open doors you can’t imagine. Meet fascinating customers, talk to test pilots and engineers, and get invited to exclusive retreats and milestone events only available to Virgin Galactic customers. I make it a point to personally escort my clients to as many of these groundbreaking events as possible. Want to know more?

Virgin Galactic Experience. Are you Ready?

The journey starts from the moment you provide a deposit to book your place amongst the first to go. In the lead up to the start of Virgin Galactic commercial operations and to your flight itself, we will keep you fully involved and informed. There will be opportunities to contribute ideas and participate in pre flight events.

Astronauts tell us that nothing can really prepare you for your first experience of space, but we will ensure that you are fully equipped to savor every second of an experience that will be intense, wonderful and truly unforgettable. And, as you would expect from a Virgin company, your comfort and enjoyment will be our primary aim right up until you leave the spaceport, complete with a fully documented record of the whole experience and of course, with your astronaut wings!