Richard Branson's privately owned Virgin Galactic finally finds its permanent home at Spaceport America in New Mexico, preparing for commercial suborbital launches for wealthy adventurers. The futuristic spaceport has been relatively quiet and deserted since it formally opened back in 2011.
The State of New Mexico took the risk of building this full-service facility in the middle of the desert, backed by Virgin Galactic's promise of space tourism. This company was expected to be the first and key tenant. Virgin's plans, however, stalled due to setbacks, including a fatality during a test flight in 2014.
But at a recent press conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico's capital, Mr. Branson, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the end of a long waiting period.
“Now we are finally ready to provide a world-class space line to those who wish,” Richard Branson, dressed in his usual jacket and blue jeans, said in front of a small assembled crowd. "Virgin Galactic is returning home to New Mexico and it's happening now." So far, most of Virgin Galactic's activities, including its test flights, have taken place at a facility in the Mojave Desert in southern California.
Mr Branson said he hopes to make his first space flight before the end of 2019. He also admitted that in the future Virgin could send people to the moon. “We start by sending people into space,” he said. “If we are right in assuming that there are thousands of wealthy people who would like to go to space, then we will make enough profit to move on to the next stages, such as perhaps creating a Virgin hotel in orbit of the moon.”
George Whitesides also noted that Virgin Galactic intends to open commercial suborbital passenger flights within the next 12 months. Two prospective passengers who had booked with Virgin years ago attended the event in Santa Fe. Recall: in February, the ship Virgin Galactic for the first time with a passenger on board - flight instructor Beth Moses.
By the way, less than a day before, rival Blue Origin announced that it hopes to launch the first tourists into space on its New Shepard rocket before the end of the year. The company, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also unveiled the design of its lunar lander and announced its desire to send millions of people off Earth. SpaceX Founder Elon Musk Seizes Opportunity .
Source: 3dnews.ru