Virgin Galactic Launches First Commercial Flight to Space
A team of Italian researchers reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights.
The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightless.
One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.
Virgin Galactic livestreamed the flight on its website, showing the moment when the ship released from its carrier plane and the rocket was ignited. The entire trip took about 90 minutes, with the plane's touchdown on the runway prompting cheers and claps by Virgin Galactic staff.
With the ship’s copilots, it marked the most Italians in space at the same time. Col. Walter Villadei, a space engineer with the Italian Air Force, celebrated by unfolding an Italian flag while weightless.
Next up for Virgin Galactic will be the first of hundreds of ticket holders, many who have been waiting years for their chance at weightlessness and to see the curvature of the Earth. Those commercial flights are expected to begin in August and will be scheduled monthly, the space tourism company said.
Virgin Galactic has been working for years to send paying passengers on short space trips and in 2021 finally won the federal government’s approval. The company completed its final test fight in May.
The Italian research flight was initially scheduled for the fall of 2021 but Virgin Galactic at the time said it was forced to push back its timeline due to a potential defect in a component used in its flight control system. Then the company spent months upgrading its rocket ship before resuming testing in early 2023.
After reaching an altitude of nearly 50,000 feet (15,000 meters), Virgin Galactic’s space plane is released from a carrier aircraft and drops for a moment before igniting its rocket motor. The rocket shuts off once it reaches space, leaving passengers weight before the ship then glides back to the runway at Spaceport America.
Virgin Galactic has sold about 800 tickets over the past decade, with the initial batch going for $200,000 each. Tickets now cost $450,000 per person.
The company said early fliers have already received their seat assignments.
A new report from Dr. Michael Worobey alleges that it is likely that COVID-19 originated from a raccoon dog at the Wuhan live animal market in China. While his report does not rule out the coronavirus could have escaped from a lab, Worobey's evidence points to a natural origin.
Jill and Carlo are back to cover the latest in the Rittenhouse trial, new information on the origins of Covid, return-to-office and more.
JOIN US FOR THE YOUTUBE WATCH PARTY @ 9aET: http://www.youtube.com/cheddarnow
Over the weekend, Russia fired a missile at one of its own satellites, triggering an explosion that launched thousands of pieces of shrapnel through space and forced the astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter in place. Senior Writer from Space.com Chelsea 'Foxanne' Gohd, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Gerald Comissiong, CEO of Todos Medical, joins None of the Above to discuss why we're seeing surges of COVID-19 cases in Europe, the potential for a winter surge of COVID-19, the benefits of high vaccination rates in a community, and the coming COVID treatment pills.
Cognitive healthcare platform BrainCheck recently raised $10 million in a Series B round. The platform offers neurologists a new way to detect and care for brain disorders like Alzeheimer's, and brain injuries like concussions. BrainCheck CEO Yael Katz joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Ice Barrel CEO breaks down the physical and mental health benefits to cold therapy training; Dishcraft CEO explains how its robotics is transforming the role of a dishwasher in restaurant kitchens; A look at Curiosity Stream's original series 'The Year That Rocked The World.'
Jill Wagner is joined by Baker to talk about kids and vaccines: we finally know how many young kids are getting vaccinated. Plus, Democrats are working on a Plan B for paid family leave. And the salad chain Sweetgreen goes public.
A breakthrough deal between the U.S. and China when it comes to climate has finally been reached. The two countries have pledged to work together to curb carbon emissions. Amy Harder, executive editor at Cipher, joined Cheddar News to discuss more.
Joey Roulette, space reporter for The New York Times, joined Cheddar to break down the intense backlash Russia is seeing after its missile test sent destroyed a non-functioning satellite and sent thousands of pieces of debris potentially at the ISS, endangering astronauts onboard. He said while the blast happened days ago, there is still some risk to the station as the space junk threat remains. So far, the U.S., NATO, and the European Union have condemned Russia for the test.
Jill is joined by “Friend of the Pod” Mosheh Oinounou to talk booster shots, and whether “fully vaccinated” will eventually mean three shots, not two. Plus, the latest on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. And the research is in: we know now the perfect way to hug. Also, Jill and Mosheh debate whether Airpods are passé.
