Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 mission: Timing and other details

Virgin Galactic founder and billionaire Richard Branson will head to the edge of space on Sunday with three other company employees realising the dream he has always spoken of - to go into the space. The mission will be carried out by spaceship VSS Unity, built by Branson's company.

The space flight will take place shortly after 9:00 am EDT (6:30 pm IST), with a livestream provided by Virgin Galactic on its website.

The spaceship will take off from a base in New Mexico hanging on a massive plane flown by two pilots.

Here is everything you need to know about the mission:

• Sunday's spaceflight will take off from Spaceport America, a huge base built in the Jornada del Muerto desert. Financed largely by the state of New Mexico, Virgin Galactic is the principal tenant.
• The base includes a runway more than two miles long and a building with spaces dedicated to flight operations.
• After climbing to 50,000 feet or 15 kilometres above Earth, VSS Unity will be dropped by the plane. It will ignite its own engines for the onward journey to ascend at Mach 3 beyond the 50 miles (80 kilometres) of altitude considered the edge of space by US agencies.
• After achieving the peak altitude, the passengers will experience weightlessness, to give them the experience of space. They will also be able to see the curvature of the Earth form the ship's 17 windows.
• The journey will last for a few minutes after which the ship will re-enter the thick part of the atmosphere and glide back to the runway.
• VSS Unity is about the size of a private jet.
• Branson's official role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to enhance the journey for future clients. Some 600 tickets have already been sold to people from 60 different countries - including Hollywood celebrities - for prices ranging from $200,000 to $250,000.
• Virgin Galactic has carried out extensive tests before today's journey. VSS Unity has successfully reached space three times, in 2018, 2019 and in May this year.
• The extra caution stems from a 2014 in-flight accident of a Virgin Galactic vessel caused the death of a pilot, considerably delaying the programme.
• After Sunday, Virgin Galactic plans two further flights, then the start of regular commercial operations from early 2022. The ultimate goal is to conduct 400 flights per year.

virgin galactic richard branson

Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs. along with Operation Sindoor Live Updates

Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs. along with Operation Sindoor Live Updates

News / World News / Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 mission: Timing and other details

See Less