Virgin Galactic Reveals Crews To Launch On First Commercial Flights This Week

Virgin Galactic announced the crew that will launch for the first commercial space flight, Galactic 01. (photo: Virgin Galactic)

Virgin Galactic has just announced the crew that will launch for the company's first commercial space flight, Galactic 01.

The crew, which numbered three including Colonel Walter Villadei (Italy Air Force), Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi, (Doctor in the Italian Air Force), Pantaleone Carlucci (Insinyur at the Italian National Research Council), Colin Bennett ( Virgin Galactic Astronaut Instructure).

"Galctic 01 is our first commercial space flight, and we are honored to have been selected by the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council to support their first space research mission, Virtute 1," said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier.

" Virgin Galactic's research mission will usher a new era of repeated and reliable access to space for governments and research institutes in the years to come."

The crew will conduct several suborbital science experiments during the 90-minute flight, such as testing equipment to measure cosmic radiation and studying various materials in microgravity conditions, scheduled for June 29.

The VSS Unity cabinet will be converted into a suborbital science lab to provide the environment for the load mounted on the shelf, and for the crew to interact with the wearables.

Former US Air Force lieutenant colonel Michael Masucci will pilot VSS Unity, while experienced US military pilots Kelly Latier and Jameel Janjua will fly VMS Eve, the carrier carrying the VSS Unity into space.

If the mission is successful, Virgin Galactic could start competing with companies that both offer commercial passenger flights into space, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The second commercial space flight called Galactic 02 is expected to take place in early August, which the company claims will be followed by monthly spaceflight. This was quoted from The Verge, Tuesday, June 27.