Virgin Galactic has revealed the winner of a free suborbital flight on its spaceplane. The winner named Keisha S. is a health and life coach and a former flight attendant from Antigua. The prize includes two seats that cost $450,000 each, and the winner will take along her daughter, a student of astrophysics.
Aiming for publicity, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson, who himself went on the first flight aboard the company’s VSS Unity rocket plane, turned up in person to present Keisha with the news. “I’ve always had a lifelong love of flying and a fascination with space, and this is truly a dream come true for me,” Keisha said.
A dream come true for the winner
She added: “I hope to share this experience with my daughter so together we can inspire the next generation to follow their dreams.”
As for the experience for Keisha and her daughter, the trip will start with Unity attached to the VMS Eve carrier plane. The plane will reach an altitude of around 50,000 feet before releasing Unity, which will then fire up the rocket to take the passengers at an altitude of around 283,000 feet.
For a short period, they will experience weightlessness, allowing them to float around the cabin and enjoy incredible views of our planet. The flight is unlikely to happen until the end of next year, as the company is carrying out further testing on Eve and Unity.
Many people buying space tickets
Previously, the company revealed that 100 people have spent $450,000 for a flight seat on its suborbital spaceplane. It means that the total number of reservations for its upcoming spaceflight service has reached 700, with 600 of them having paid $250,000 before the seat prices increased to $450,000.
Virgin Galactic revealed these details in its earnings reports, released on November 9. The company is aiming to launch a space tourism service by the end of next year to send passengers around 55 miles above Earth to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and unmatched views of space and our planet, before returning back to the launching site.
