#Race into space steam free

Elon MuskвЂ™s SpaceX aspires to resupply astronauts - and then colonize Mars Tickets for a 2.5-hour round trip to and from space with Virgin Galactic are expected to cost $250,000. Though the VSS Unity can seat a total of eight people, including two pilots, BransonвЂ™s maiden voyage included just three other passengers, excluding pilots David Mackay and Michael Masucci.

VSS Unity reached a maximum altitude of about 282,000 feet, well above the 264,000-foot line at which space вЂњbegins.вЂќ Branson and those onboard achieved a top speed of Mach 3.2 or 2,435 mph, and experienced weightlessness for about 3 minutes. (Photo by Virgin Galactic / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Sir Richard Branson flew into space aboard a Virgin Galactic vessel, a voyage he described as the 'experience of a lifetime' at the Spaceport America in New Mexico, United States on July 11, 2021. Launched from Spaceport America in Sierra County, New Mexico, Virgin GalacticвЂ™s VSS Unity, a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane, was carried by the VMS Eve, a carrier aircraft, above 40,000 feet before they separated during BransonвЂ™s July 11 flight.

The spaceplane itself must be carried to a certain altitude by a carrier aircraft launch platform before being released to climb further into space using its own boosters. Virgin GalacticвЂ™s spacecraft differs from those of Blue Origin and SpaceX in that it utilizes a spaceplane rather than a reusable rocket. Though BransonвЂ™s July 11 flight was not the companyвЂ™s first successful manned flight, it marked BransonвЂ™s first time reaching space and served as a critical test flight before commercial operations could begin. Sir Richard Branson speaks after he flew into space aboard a Virgin Galactic vessel, a voyage he described as the 'experience of a lifetime' - and one he hopes will usher in an era of lucrative space tourism at Spaceport America, near Truth and Consequences, New Mexico on July 11, 2021. (A spaceflight is вЂњsuborbitalвЂќ when the spacecraft does not travel fast enough to enter EarthвЂ™s orbit, but rather, briefly crosses the boundary of space before traveling back down to Earth.) Its long term goal is to dominate the space tourism market through its lineup of spaceplanes that will allow passengers to experience weightlessness in zero-gravity in suborbital spaceflight.

With a market cap of just over $7.5 billion, the latest estimate from Macrotrends has Virgin Galactic employing 823 people. It earned its reputation through becoming the first publicly traded space tourism company in the world. (Photo by Blue Origin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Richard BransonвЂ™s Virgin Galactic aims to dominate space tourismДЇounded in 2004 and headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico, BransonвЂ™s Virgin Galactic is a commercial spacecraft developer and space tourism company. Bezos and the crew rode in the first human spaceflight for the company. VAN HORN, TEXAS - JULY 20: Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk leave Blue OriginГўs New Shepard crew capsule after landing on Jin Van Horn, Texas. вЂњFuture generations are going to look at this moment as a pivotal moment for humanity when it comes to the expansion into space.вЂќ вЂњWe are really just on the cusp of seeing the activity of commercial human space flight,вЂќ Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Karina Drees told Yahoo Finance Live.

Companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, along with Elon MuskвЂ™s SpaceX, are looking to make space exploration more affordable and accessible, as well as advance the progress of the human race.

#Race into space steam free

These companies are ushering in a new era of space exploration and travel - one that is catalyzed by free market competition. In the past decade, both publicly traded and private aerospace firms have risen into prominence with aspirations of commercializing the final frontier. Bezos and the crew are riding in the first human spaceflight for the company. VAN HORN, TEXAS - JULY 20: The New Shepard Blue Origin rocket lifts-off from the launch pad carrying Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk prepare to launch on Jin Van Horn, Texas.