With plans to start suborbital tourist flights at the end of the year, Virgin Galactic has presented the company's first Spaceship III suborbital spaceplane, VSS Imagine, which will begin ground testing, with glide flights planned for this summer.
VSS Imagine
The introduction of the Spaceship III class of vehicles is a major milestone in Virgin Galactic's multi-year effort to fly 400 manned flights per year.
These suborbital spaceplanes have space for six crew members who will be able to view the Earth from outer space through 17 windows spread throughout the cabin.
The innovative design of the livery, Completely finished with a mirror-like material, "reflects the surrounding environment, constantly changing color and appearance as it travels from earth to sky to space." An aircraft livery is a set of comprehensive insignia including color, graphic, and typographic identifiers that operators (airlines, governments, air forces, and occasionally private and corporate owners) apply to their aircraft.
You have already received approximately 600 customer registrations (at $250,000 a ticket) and the company's president, Richard Branson, is scheduled to travel on its first commercial flight. This third generation of spacecraft will lay the foundation for the design and manufacturing of vehicles of the future.
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The news
Virgin Galactic has unveiled the first Spaceship III suborbital spaceplane
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.