Virgin Galactic will work with NASA to prepare non-public astronauts for orbital spaceflights

On Monday (June 22), NASA’s Johnson Dwelling Heart in Texas penned a Dwelling Act Agreement with the spaceflight company Virgin Galactic to compose a “non-public orbital astronaut readiness program.”

(Image: © Virgin Galactic)

NASA is becoming a member of forces with Virgin Galactic to pork up the manner forward for condominium tourism.

On Monday (June 22), NASA’s Johnson Dwelling Heart in Texas penned a Dwelling Act Agreement with the spaceflight company Virgin Galactic to compose a “non-public orbital astronaut readiness program.” This initiative is amongst NASA’s efforts to develop industrial expend of the International Dwelling Put aside (ISS), a purpose the company launched over a Three hundred and sixty five days within the past. 

The partnership will embody “figuring out candidates attracted to shopping non-public astronaut missions to the ISS,” per a Virgin Galactic assertion. This can also embody practising for those non-public astronauts, transportation to the condominium feature, and pork up and coordination the utilization of condominium feature property for future missions below this program. Virgin Galactic has no longer yet disclosed more explicit facts about these future flights interior this program and the map in which they’ll operate or how grand they would possibly maybe perhaps presumably payment moderately. 

Associated: How Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo works (infographic)

“We are excited to partner with NASA on this non-public orbital spaceflight program, which is capable of no longer handiest enable us to make expend of our spaceflight platform, but additionally supply our condominium practising infrastructure to NASA and other agencies,” George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, mentioned within the identical assertion.

On Friday (June 19), forward of the settlement used to be launched, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: “BREAKING: @NASA is creating the technique to fly astronauts on industrial suborbital spacecraft. Whether it is suborbital, orbital, or deep condominium, NASA will form a number of the of our nation’s modern industrial capabilities. RFI will be launched next week.”

Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides retweeted Bridenstine’s assertion and added: “Right here is huge news. All over a unfold of packages and locations, NASA is catalyzing innovation and leading the manner toward an even future in condominium. We end wide awake for working with the company to approach this engaging functionality to fly NASA astronauts.”

Right here is huge news. All over a unfold of packages and locations, NASA is catalyzing innovation and leading the manner toward an even future in condominium. We end wide awake for working with the company to approach this engaging functionality to fly NASA astronauts. @JimBridenstine @NASA https://t.co/0gR7mUvotqJune 19, 2020

Virgin Galactic’s recent Dwelling Act settlement “also serves as a pathfinder for the ISS National Laboratory,” per the assertion, by demonstrating NASA’s increasing involvement in industrial spaceflight, namely in regards to the condominium feature. 

Right here isn’t any longer Virgin Galactic’s first astronaut program. The company at the moment runs a Future Astronaut Readiness program for possibilities who contain signed as much as fly from their birth predicament, Spaceport The US in Unusual Mexico. The recent collaboration with NASA will expend that birth predicament for some aspects, in conjunction with non-public astronaut practising. 

• Photos: Plot shut a tour of Spaceport The US
• Virgin Galactic: Richard Branson’s condominium tourism company
• Incredible Virgin Galactic birth video reveals shadowy sky, blue Earth

Electronic mail Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or note her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.