Virgin Galactic tourism rocket ship reaches space for first time
- Life
- AP
- Published Date: 12:00 | 14 December 2018
- Modified Date: 02:47 | 14 December 2018
The rocket ship hit an altitude of 51 miles (82 kilometers) before beginning its gliding descent, said mission official Enrico Palermo. It landed on a runway minutes later.
"We made it to space!" Palermo said.
Thursday's supersonic flight takes Virgin Galactic closer to turning the long-delayed dream of commercial space tourism into reality. The company aims to take paying customers on the six-passenger rocket, which is about the size of an executive jet. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson has said he wants to be one of the first on board.