Virgin Galactic live updates: Company to launch its first fully commercial spaceflight

(NEW YORK) — Virgin Galactic is launching its first fully commercial flight of the SpaceShipTwo space plane, the company announced.

The ship will carry four people and launch around 11:00 a.m. ET, which will be available to watch via livestream. The trip is expected to last about 90 minutes.

The mission, known as Galactic 01, will see the team conduct 13 experiments examining thermo-fluid dynamics and the development of sustainable materials in microgravity conditions.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 29, 9:56 AM EDT
Meet the crew aboard Galactic 01

Galactic 01 will be carrying four passengers when it takes its suborbital flight, about 50 miles above Earth.

Among them are two members of the Italian Ari Force, Col. Walter Villadei, the mission commander, and Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi, a physician.

Villadei will be wearing a smart suit to measure his biometric data and physiological responses and Landolfi will measure cognitive performance in microgravity as well as studing how certain liquids and solids mix in microgravity, the company said.

Pantaleone Carlucci, an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy, will also be on board to examine the crew members’ heart rates, brain functions and other health vitals during spaceflight.

Lastly is Colin Bennett, an astronaut instructor with Virgin Galactic, to assess the experience during the mission. Bennett was a passenger onboard the company’s 2021 flight that included Branson.

Jun 29, 9:20 AM EDT
What is Virgin Galactic?

Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight company founded by British businessman Richard Branson.

The company says its goal is to take paying customers to the edge of the space, in a similar vein to Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin.

In 2021, Virgin Galactic received approval from the U.S. government to take customers on spaceflights.