Virgin Galactic Successfully Launches Commercial Space Flights After 19 Years

Virgin Galactic successfully took its first paying customers to the edge of space after almost 20 years since its founding. The VSS Unity rocket plane carried three Italian passengers who conducted experiments during the 72-minute suborbital journey. This marks the first time any of the approximately 800 people who have purchased tickets have made the trip. Virgin plans to start monthly passenger flights in August, but it would take nearly 17 years to clear the backlog at that rate. The company aims to bring a new series of rocket planes into service by 2026 to increase the frequency to one journey per week.