If you are someone who wouldn’t shy away from going to space but don’t have the budget to afford that trio, Virgin Galactic has some good news for you. After sending its founder Richard Branson to 282,000 feet above Earth, the company has announced a raffle offering free tickets to a winner and a guest for a future spaceflight aboard its VSS Unity spaceplane.
To participate, all a person needs to do is make a donation to the Space for humanity charity, a nonprofit that aims to increase the accessibility of space. “Imagine blasting off to begin an adventure that’s truly out of this world,” Branson says in a video promoting the contest.
More donations more chances
The more donation a person makes, the greater chance of winning the ticket. For example, a donation of $10 will get you 100 entries in the raffle, while a donation of $25 will secure 250 entries. The winner will be announced on September 29, and the flight is likely to take place in 2022.
This flight will start with a carrier aircraft flying Unity to an altitude of 50,000 feet. The spaceplane will then release from the carrier aircraft, fire up its rocket engine, and go upward to 250,000 feet above land and sea.
The passengers will be able to experience weightlessness for a few minutes and see mesmerizing views of the Earth’s curvature and the cosmos. Unity and the crew passengers will then come back to Earth for a normal runway landing.
Other commercial space ventures
Besides, SpaceX founder and CEO, Elon Musk has also booked tickets for his maiden flight to space. If the reports are to be believed, Musk will embark on this journey aboard Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft. Reports suggest that Elon Musk has deposited $10,000 to reserve a seat on a future suborbital flight. However, there’s no specific date set for Musk’s flight.
Moreover, Space Perspective has also built and tested its Spaceship Neptune, a luxury eight-seat piloted capsule that will ascend with the help of a giant hydrogen-filled balloon. The interior of the spacecraft will include luxury amenities.
