Get ready to fly to space in 2019
The two companies, leading the quest of space tourism revealed that they are just months away from their first space travel, carrying tourists; the date is yet to be confirmed.
Virgin Galactic Spacecraft
Virgin Galactic, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, and Blue Origin, by Amazon creator Jeff Bezos – are striving to be the first to finish their tests. However, both the companies are using fundamentally different technology.
Space tourism by both the companies does not mean to carry the passengers along the orbit of earth. Their weightless experience will last just minutes. The experience will be different from the first space tourists, who travelled to the International Space Station (ISS) in the 2000s.
Virgin Galacticcan will take six passengers and two pilots aboard its Space Ship Two, VSS Unity. Branson recently said that he hoped to himself be one of the first passengers in the next 12 months. About 650 people make up the rest of the waiting list, the company said.
Blue Origin Rocket
Meanwhile, Blue Origin has developed a system closer to the traditional rocket: the New Shepard. Six passengers take their place in a “capsule” fixed to the rocket. After launching, it detaches and continues its trajectory toward the sky. During an April 29 test, the capsule made it to 66 miles.
Company officials were recently quoted as saying the first tests with Blue Origin astronauts would take place “at the end of this year.”