Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists took off from Spaceport America on Thursday and traveled in a spaceplane that will take them 50 miles above Earth’s surface.
Antiguan mother-daughter duo Keisha Schahaff, 46, and Anastatia Mayers, 18, and retired British Olympian Jon Goodwin, 80, will make history for the company founded by Richard Branson when they venture into space.
After the “hero walk” where they said goodbye to friends and family, the three people strapped themselves into the VSS Unity rocket, which was attached to the underside of a larger carrier aircraft called Eve.
The aircraft sped down the runway and shot into the blue sky over New Mexico.
The planes will rise approximately 44,000 feet above Earth’s surface, where they will separate and the spaceplane will carry the three new astronauts over 50 miles above sea level so passengers can enjoy incredible views of Earth.
Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists hugged their friends and family during the “Hero’s Walk” before traveling to the Spaceport launch pad to begin their epic journey to the Final Frontier
Mother and daughter won their seats in a sweepstakes and Goodwin bought his seat for $250,000 in 2005 – he will be the first Olympian to go into space.
Schahaff and Mayers won free tickets for the one-off business trip.
Virgin Galactic already has a backlog of 800 customers vying for their space opportunity, made possible by the company’s first mission in June.
The tickets sold for $250,000 but have since risen to $450,000.
The crew launched from the hangar in sleek Rang Rover vehicles and made their way to the launch pad less than a mile away where Unity and Eve, the mothership, had been waiting.
The crew have become very close since they began training for spaceflight. Meyers checked in with Goodwin during the hero’s walk to make sure he was okay and ready to go
The crew will board Unity and Eve, rocket down the runway and take off into the sky.
Unity will then fire up its engine and shut down once it reaches space.
At the climax of the flight, the spaceplane is expected to “spread its wings” and hover above our planet’s atmosphere, allowing the crew to experience a few minutes of zero gravity and epic views of the final frontier.
The official livestream of the mission will be broadcast live on the company’s website and YouTube channel.
“The future of space travel is here,” says the company’s website.
British-born Goodwin is an adventurer and the first Olympian to go into space, having competed in the 1972 Munich Games
The space tourists all smiled during their heroic walk, which saw them hug friends and family before making their way to the spaceplane
The crew will board Unity and Eve, rocket down the runway and take off into the sky. Unity will then fire up its engine and shut down once it reaches space
“The countdown for the live stream will begin shortly before the starship release.”
Today’s historic Galactic 02 mission will have six people on board, including three Virgin Galactic employees – Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Kelly Latimer and Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses.
Schahaff from Antigua won a sweepstakes with Omaze, an American non-profit fundraising company, for a one-off commercial trip to the Last Frontier aboard Virgin Galactic’s Unity.
Mayers, the second youngest person to ever travel into space, is one of Schahaff’s two daughters.
She is a second year student of philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Mayers wants to be an astrobiologist and thought living on the small island was impossible until her mother won tickets to Unity.
British-born Goodwin is an adventurer and the first Olympian to go into space, having competed in the 1972 Munich Games.
In 2014 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Since then, he has worked to raise awareness about the disease and the importance of research to find a cure – and hopes that taking part in this mission will help shine the spotlight on the disease.