On Sunday, July 11, 2021, Virgin Galactic successfully sent founder Sir Richard Branson to space. Aboard VSS Unity, along with a complete crew of Virgin Galactic employees, they reached the edge of space in a bid to further space tourism. The flight started at Spaceport America in New Mexico with Unity 22 attached to Virgin Galactic's twin-fuselage mothership, VMS Eve. After about 50 minutes of flight time and around 45,000 feet, Unity 22 detached from VMS Eve and continued reaching Mach 3 until they reached an altitude of 53.5 miles above Earth. While in space, the crew left their seats to experience a few moments of weightlessness before returning to Earth and successfully landing at Spaceport America.
Sir Richard Branson said: "I have dreamt about this moment since I was a child, but nothing could have prepared me for the view of Earth from space. We are at the vanguard of a new space age. As Virgin's founder, I was honoured to test the incredible customer experience as part of this remarkable crew of mission specialists and now astronauts. I can't wait to share this experience with aspiring astronauts around the world."
Branson continued, "Our mission is to make space more accessible to all. In that spirit, and with today's successful flight of VSS Unity, I'm thrilled to announce a partnership with Omaze and Space for Humanity to inspire the next generation of dreamers. For so long, we have looked back in wonder at the space pioneers of yesterday. Now, I want the astronauts of tomorrow to look forward and make their own dreams come true."
To further bolster this new age in spaceflight, Virgin Galactic and Omaze have partnered to give you the chance to go to space! The sweepstakes will provide two seats on one of the first flights to space. Details about the sweepstakes can be found here: https://www.omaze.com/products/virgin-galactic-2021
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