Virgin Galactic is set to launch its first commercial rocket-powered ride on Thursday. This video shows what the passengers can expect.
Virgin Galactic is just hours away from launching its first-ever commercial flight to the edge of space.
Thursday’s mission comes after years of testing that included a string of setbacks, the most significant of which involved the tragic death of test pilot Michael Alsbury in a crash in 2014.
Following two fully crewed test flights, the most recent of which took place in May, Virgin Galactic is now ready to send paying passengers to an altitude of about 53 miles (86 kilometers), around seven times higher than a commercial passenger jet though several miles short of the point known as the Kármán line where space is generally considered to begin.
The passenger list includes Colonel Walter Villadei and Lieutenant Colonel Angelo Landolfi from the Italian Air Force, and Pantaleone Carlucci from the National Research Council of Italy.
