Virgin Galactic on track for second commercial launch

Only and little over a month after its first commercial launch, Virgin Galactic, on July 13, 2023, has announced its second commercial launch attempt, called Galactic 02, launching no earlier than August 10. Additionally, this flight will be the first private astronaut mission for the company.

After months of testing and 25 crewed and uncrewed flights of VSS Unity, the vehicle that blasts the crew to space, Virgin Galactic is finally conducting the first commercial spaceflights. Galactic 01, which launched on June 29, was a scientific research mission conducted by members of the Italian Air Force and research organization.

Virgin Galactic said that Galactic 01 was successful and is now moving right along to the first private astronaut mission. As of publication, the details of who will be launching are yet to be announced. However, Virgin Galactic stated on its website that there will be three private passengers onboard.

According to the Virgin Galactic website, a ticket for a flight on VSS Unity currently costs about $125,000. This price has not fluctuated much since sales went live a few years ago. It’s safe to assume that these passengers purchased tickets a long time ago, when sales first went live, as there is said to be a queue for flights.

No details are confirmed about how many passengers are waiting for flights, but the announcement of Galactic 02 which is currently set for August 10, shows a steady cadence in launches from the southwest United States.

What will the cadence look like? Could we see two, three, or even four more launches this year? Only time will tell.

Virgin Galactic is the second company in the United States to start launching commercial flights, Blue Origin beating them out by not that long. However, Blue Origin has not done a scientific flight with humans on board as Virgin Galactic did with Galactic 01. Does this put Virgin Galactic ahead in the quest to be a versatile sub-orbital launch provider?