Virgin Galactic: New Mexico’s hub for commercial space travel

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Founded by Sir Richard Branson in 2004, Virgin Galactic is the world’s first commercial spaceline. However, the brand didn’t always focus on space travel.

Virgin-branded companies got their start in 1970 with the launch of the mail-order record retailer, Virgin Records. The name has stretched to various business models over the years and now operates as Virgin Mobile, Virgin Voyages, Virgin Hotels, and more, with over 40 Virgin-branded companies worldwide.

Since its founding in 2004, Virgin Galactic has expanded to having operations in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and the United Kingdom, offering both private passenger flights and opportunities for researchers to fly scientific payloads to space.

The first Virgin Galactic flight took off from Mojave Air and Space Port on December 13th, 2018, on the VSS Unity spaceship, launched with the help of the VMS Eve mothership. In 2019, Virgin Galactic moved its launch operations from California to Spaceport America in New Mexico, where it now operates as a long-term tenant of the spaceport.

In 2021, Virgin Galactic launched its first fully crewed spaceflight, Unity 22 , and in 2023, the company held its first commercial spaceflight with paying passengers. The typical Virgin Galactic flight lasts between two and three hours, with passengers getting to experience weightlessness for just a few minutes.

Timeline of Virgin Galactic’s first flights

• First spaceflight – December 13, 2018
  • VSS Unity launched from Mojave Air and Space Port in California
• Second spaceflight – February 22, 2019
  • First spaceflight with a crew member onboard
• Unity 21 – May 22, 2021
  • First flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico
• Unity 22 – July 11, 2021
  • First fully crewed spaceflight
• Unity 25 – May 25, 2023
  • Flight carrying four Virgin Galactic employees
• Galactic 01 – July 29, 2023
  • First commercial spaceflight with paying passengers
• Galactic 02 – August 10, 2023
  • First flight with private passengers

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