Virgin Galactic Rises From Sleep! This End Of Month Ready To Bring Italian Researchers To Space

Virgin Galactic has set the launch date of its spacecraft in early August (photo: dock. virgin galactic)

Virgin Galactic has set the launch date of its spacecraft in early August, which will take passengers to the edge of space in no time.

Prior to that, the company announced it would start with a research flight dubbed Galactic 01, on June 27 and last until June 30, depending on the weather.

In Galactic 01, the company will bring three members of the Italian Air Force to conduct microgravity research with science content.

After that, Virgin Galactic will launch its second commercial flight in early August, with monthly flights after that.

The company completed its final test flight in May, and said it had completed routine analysis and inspection of vehicles for its carrier VMS Eve and the VSS Unity spacecraft.

Virgin Galactic's first commercial space flight has been a long-awaited milestone for billionaire Richard Branson's company, as quoted by CNBC International, Friday, June 16.

Tickets have been sold for 800 over the past decade, at an initial price of 200,000 US dollars or equivalent to Rp2.9 billion. Now, tickets are priced at 450,000 US dollars (Rp 6.7 billion) per person.

With the launch of research in June, it will begin activating Virgin Galactic to show they can fly commercial flights regularly, which is critical to its long-term success.