Virgin Galactic Takes First Successful Manned Glide

Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s space-focused offshoot of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, completed its first successful flight, taking us one step closer to a world where rich people can pay $200,000 a ticket and have a quick flight above the Earth’s atmosphere.

The “spaceship,” called the VSS Enterprise, made it up to 45,000 feet before it glided back to the Mojave Air and Space Port. The Enterprise is carried up to the designated altitude by the Eve carrier before it is released and glides back down to Earth. The entire process took about 25 minutes, though hopefully after paying $200,000, passengers will get a little more space for their buck.

(story via BBC News, video via Telegraph.co.uk)

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James Plafke