Virgin Galactic's Inaugural Commercial Flight Will Take Italian Crew on a Scientific Mission

A twin-fuselage jet prepared to launch Virgin Galactic's rocket plane with a three-man crew into the New Mexico sky for a high-altitude mission.

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Italian air force colonels and an aerospace engineer joined the crew for the flight, which marked the inauguration of commercial service for Virgin Galactic.

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The crew's mission was scientific, focusing on collecting data and studying microgravity conditions.

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Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei saw this flight as part of his astronaut training for a future mission to the International Space Station.

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The flight aimed to take the crew about 50 miles (80 km) above the desert floor.

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Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson, competed with other commercial space ventures like Blue Origin and SpaceX.

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Virgin Galactic had sold approximately 800 tickets for its commercial flights and planned to launch Galactic 02 in August.

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Virgin Galactic faced setbacks but continued to pursue its goals in the suborbital space tourism sector.

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