Virgin Galactic’s rocket plane Unity is set to fly commercial

After nearly 20 years, Sir Richard Branson’s rocket plane, Unity, tested their first commercial flight on Thursday.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic rocket plane, Unity, has finally started performing commercial flights, almost 20 years later.

Three Italians were able to conduct scientific experiments in a weightless environment on Thursday thanks to the vehicle's high-altitude flight over the desert in New Mexico.

Roughly 800 people who purchased tickets to ride Unity will now start being sent up by Sir Richard.

At 1430 GMT, Spaceport America launched the 72-minute mission, which was broadcast live around the globe.

After reaching a height of 44,500 feet (13,600 meters) approximately one hour into the mission, the carrier aircraft, Eve, was then set to release Unity to start its engine and ascend to the outer reaches of space. The rocket plane climbed to a height of 27,900 feet (85 km).

Some Virgin Galactic ticket buyers have been waiting for their chance to travel to the edge of space for more than ten years, and the majority of them will still have a long wait.

Unity can only accommodate a small number of passengers at once, and with one excursion per month for missions, clearing the backlog might take longer than expected.

The launch of Virgin Galactic's newest class of rocket aircraft, are scheduled to enter commercial service in 2026.