Virgin Galactic Gears Up For Seventh Commercial Spaceflight On June 8th
Virgin Galactic announced today that their launch window for their seventh commercial spaceflight, Galactic 07, is set to open on Saturday, June 8th, 2024. This mission marks the second spaceflight for Virgin Galactic this year, following the successful Galactic 06 mission in January.
Virgin Galactic's spacecraft, VSS Unity, will once again transform into a suborbital science lab. This flight will carry a researcher astronaut affiliated with Axiom Space who will conduct multiple human-tended experiments. Additionally, Purdue University and UC Berkeley will have autonomous payloads onboard, supported by NASA's Flight Opportunities program.
"Virgin Galactic's mission closely aligns with Axiom Space's commitment to democratizing space access and fostering scientific discovery beyond Earth," said Tejpaul Bhatia, Chief Revenue Officer of Axiom Space. "We are thrilled about Galactic 07 and look forward to revealing the groundbreaking research and the identity of our participating astronaut as we approach the launch date."
The hybrid crew for Galactic 07 will consist of:
- Astronaut 027: A researcher astronaut affiliated with Axiom Space.
Astronaut 028: A private astronaut from California, USA.
Specific details regarding the launch time and the identities of the private astronaut and the Axiom Space researcher have not yet been disclosed by Virgin Galactic.
This upcoming mission signifies Virgin Galactic's continued progress in facilitating space tourism and scientific research through their unique suborbital spaceflight experiences.
