World's first space tourism flight has made it back to Earth with its three civilian passengers.&nbsp;The 'space tourists' that went to the edge of space are quite naturally "starstruck". Video released by Virgin Galactic, the company behind Galactic-02, shows them peering outside the spacecraft's windows and glimpsing our planet from the vast emptiness of space.

<h2>Surreal experience&nbsp;</h2>

In a press conference that took place after the successful conclusion of humanity's first ever space "trip," one of the passengers, 80-year-old Jon Goodwin, said "The most impressive thing was looking at Earth from space. Just the pure clarity was very moving."&nbsp;

"Quite surreal and without a doubt the most exciting day of my life," added the adventurer, who competed in the 1972 Olympic Games as a canoeist for Britain.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/virgin-galactics-first-space-tourism-flight-takes-off-with-three-civilian-passengers-624309">Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight takes off with three civilian passengers</a>

Have a look at a video of the surreal journey here:

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That magical moment when your dreams comes true <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Galactic02?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Galactic02</a> <a href="https://t.co/k5NsNlXb6u">pic.twitter.com/k5NsNlXb6u</a>
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) <a href="https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/1689776235768070145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Many milestones established</h2>

As per Virgin Galactic, the flight set many milestones, including: the most women in a single mission; first mother-daughter duo to go to space; first Olympian to go to space; the sixth and seventh black women to go to space; second person with Parkinson's to go to space; the youngest person to go to space; and third oldest person to go to space.

Recounting the hours before take-off, Anastatia's mother 46-year-old Keisha Schahaff, another passenger abroad the space flight, said: "I woke up feeling really ready, and I went outside and I just looked up at the skies, and it was remarkably clear. I could see the stars, I could see the moon. And it felt like the universe was connecting with me again and says, 'You're invited, come'. So I was ready."

<h2>'Starstruck'</h2>

Talking about her experience, 18-year-old Anastatia Mayers who was the youngest ever person to go space, said: "You are so much more connected to everything than you would expect to be. You felt like a part of the team, a part of the ship, a part of the universe, a part of Earth. It was incredible, and I'm still starstruck."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/virgin-galactic-prepares-for-first-commercial-spaceflight-announces-crew-members-609205">Virgin Galactic prepares for first commercial spaceflight, announces crew members</a>

The group spent&nbsp;a few minutes floating weightless in space at around 53 miles (85 kilometres) above sea level and admired the curvature of the Earth from space, before the spacecraft glided&nbsp;back to Earth.

On Thursday (August 10th), the Virgin Galactic flight, which is a culmination of a nearly two-decade programme for commercial space tourism, lifted off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, and after spending a few minutes in space safely landed on the same runway, it took off from.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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World's first space tourism flight has made it back to Earth with its three civilian passengers. The 'space tourists' that went to the edge of space are quite naturally "starstruck".

World's first space tourism flight has made it back to Earth with its three civilian passengers. The 'space tourists' that went to the edge of space are quite naturally "starstruck". Video released by Virgin Galactic, the company behind Galactic-02, shows them peering outside the spacecraft's windows and glimpsing our planet from the vast emptiness of space. Surreal experience In a press conference that took place after the successful conclusion of humanity's first ever space "trip," one of the passengers, 80-year-old Jon Goodwin, said "The most impressive thing was looking at Earth from space. Just the pure clarity was very moving." "Quite surreal and without a doubt the most exciting day of my life," added the adventurer, who competed in the 1972 Olympic Games as a canoeist for Britain. Also read | Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight takes off with three civilian passengers Have a look at a video of the surreal journey here: That magical moment when your dreams comes true #Galactic02 pic.twitter.com/k5NsNlXb6u — Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) August 10, 2023 × Many milestones established As per Virgin Galactic, the flight set many milestones, including: the most women in a single mission; first mother-daughter duo to go to space; first Olympian to go to space; the sixth and seventh black women to go to space; second person with Parkinson's to go to space; the youngest person to go to space; and third oldest person to go to space. Recounting the hours before take-off, Anastatia's mother 46-year-old Keisha Schahaff, another passenger abroad the space flight, said: "I woke up feeling really ready, and I went outside and I just looked up at the skies, and it was remarkably clear. I could see the stars, I could see the moon. And it felt like the universe was connecting with me again and says, 'You're invited, come'. So I was ready." 'Starstruck' Talking about her experience, 18-year-old Anastatia Mayers who was the youngest ever person to go space, said: "You are so much more connected to everything than you would expect to be. You felt like a part of the team, a part of the ship, a part of the universe, a part of Earth. It was incredible, and I'm still starstruck." Also read | Virgin Galactic prepares for first commercial spaceflight, announces crew members The group spent a few minutes floating weightless in space at around 53 miles (85 kilometres) above sea level and admired the curvature of the Earth from space, before the spacecraft glided back to Earth. On Thursday (August 10th), the Virgin Galactic flight, which is a culmination of a nearly two-decade programme for commercial space tourism, lifted off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, and after spending a few minutes in space safely landed on the same runway, it took off from. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Virgin Galactic's tourist 'astronauts' left 'starstruck' after trip to edge of space. Watch!

The long-awaited, first-ever civilian space tourism flight has taken off into the weightlessness of space with three passengers.

On Thursday, the Virgin Galactic flight, which is a culmination of a nearly two-decade programme for commercial space tourism, lifted off from Spaceport America in New Mexico.

<h2>The three civilian passengers</h2>

Aboard the space tourism flight are 80-year-old Jon Goodwin, an adventurer who competed in the 1972 Olympic games as a canoeist for Britain; 46-year-old Keisha Schahaff, a health coach from Antigua and Barbuda; and her daughter, 18-year-old Anastatia Mayers, a student of philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/virgin-galactic-prepares-for-first-commercial-spaceflight-announces-crew-members-609205">Virgin Galactic prepares for first commercial spaceflight, announces crew members</a>

The group, as per AFP, will spend a few minutes floating weightless in space at around 53 miles (85 kilometres) above sea level. There, they will get to admire the curvature of the Earth from space, before the spacecraft glides back to Earth.

<h2>Touchdown</h2>

As the spacecraft pushed above 80 kilometres (50 miles) in altitude,&nbsp;—&nbsp;the level that marks&nbsp;the edge of space where the pull of gravity is minimal, Virgin Galactic announcer Sirisha Bandla exclaimed that the civilian passengers "are officially astronauts. Welcome to space."

The craft started descending after spending a few minutes in space. As per AFP, it has safely landed in the US state of New Mexico, on the same runway they took off from.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-technology/musk-branson-space-race-heats-up-as-virgin-galactic-announces-first-commercial-passenger-space-mission-604988">Musk-Branson space race heats up as Virgin Galactic announces commercial space mission</a>

<h2>Virgin Galactic</h2>

This mission is Richard Branson's company's second commercial flight. It has been named Galactic 02.&nbsp;The previous flight carried a group of senior Italian Air Force officers at the end of June. They carried out several experiments on board, which means that the trip wasn't purely for pleasure.

Founded in 2004, Virgin Galactic between 2005 and 2014 sold around 800 tickets for seats on future commercial flights. 600 of these were sold for $200,000 to $250,000, and 200 more since then were sold for $450,000 each.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The long-awaited, first-ever civilian space tourism flight has taken off into the weightlessness of space with three passengers. On Thursday, the Virgin Galactic flight, which is a culmination of a nearly two-decade programme for commercial space tourism, lifted off from Spaceport America in New Mexico.

The long-awaited, first-ever civilian space tourism flight has taken off into the weightlessness of space with three passengers. On Thursday, the Virgin Galactic flight, which is a culmination of a nearly two-decade programme for commercial space tourism, lifted off from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The three civilian passengers Aboard the space tourism flight are 80-year-old Jon Goodwin, an adventurer who competed in the 1972 Olympic games as a canoeist for Britain; 46-year-old Keisha Schahaff, a health coach from Antigua and Barbuda; and her daughter, 18-year-old Anastatia Mayers, a student of philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Also read | Virgin Galactic prepares for first commercial spaceflight, announces crew members The group, as per AFP, will spend a few minutes floating weightless in space at around 53 miles (85 kilometres) above sea level. There, they will get to admire the curvature of the Earth from space, before the spacecraft glides back to Earth. Touchdown As the spacecraft pushed above 80 kilometres (50 miles) in altitude, — the level that marks the edge of space where the pull of gravity is minimal, Virgin Galactic announcer Sirisha Bandla exclaimed that the civilian passengers "are officially astronauts. Welcome to space." The craft started descending after spending a few minutes in space. As per AFP, it has safely landed in the US state of New Mexico, on the same runway they took off from. Also read | Musk-Branson space race heats up as Virgin Galactic announces commercial space mission Virgin Galactic This mission is Richard Branson's company's second commercial flight. It has been named Galactic 02. The previous flight carried a group of senior Italian Air Force officers at the end of June. They carried out several experiments on board, which means that the trip wasn't purely for pleasure. Founded in 2004, Virgin Galactic between 2005 and 2014 sold around 800 tickets for seats on future commercial flights. 600 of these were sold for $200,000 to $250,000, and 200 more since then were sold for $450,000 each. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight takes off with three civilian passengers

Virgin Galactic on Monday announced plans to sell up to $500 million worth of shares. The announcement came in after the company successfully finished its first fully crewed test flight into space with billionaire founder Richard Branson on board.

Soon after the announcement, Virgin Galactic's shares rose by 8 per cent premarket, but soon fell 10 per cent in early trading.

Branson's trip upstaged rival space tourism venture Blue Origin and its founder Jeff Bezos. The ongoing tussle has been called the "billionaire space race". Bezos is slated to fly to space on July 20 along with his brother Mark. Bezos founded the retail giant Amazon.com Inc.

According to the Swiss investment bank UBS, the potential value of space tourism could reach $3 annual value by 2030.

Virgin Galactic is expected to begin commercial space operations next year with two flights planned in the coming months. The company was founded in 2004.

After a successful trip to space, Richard Branson has urged young people to achieve their dreams and aim for the stars, quite literally.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/generation-of-dreamers-richard-branson-leaves-message-for-youngsters-after-space-trip-397681" hreflang="en">'Generation of dreamers': Richard Branson leaves message for youngsters after space trip</a>

Giving out the message of never giving up, Branson told youngsters in a tweet, "To the next generation of dreamers: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do". Branson said he had always wanted to fly high and his dream has come true as he became one of the first humans to travel on commercial spaceflight.

"I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship looking down to our beautiful Earth," he said in a live feed video.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/watch-richard-bransons-spaceflight-touches-down-after-successful-trip-to-space-397445" hreflang="en">WATCH| Richard Branson's spaceflight touches down after successful trip to space</a>

Branson believes space is 'for all humanity' and has thus teamed up with Omaze to give interested candidates a chance to travel to space. Interested people can now fill in their details on Omaze.com/space.

"Every charitable donation goes to support Space For Humanity and you’ll be entered into the Omaze sweepstake for the chance to win two seats aboard one of the first commercial Virgin Galactic space flights," Branson announced.

Virgin Galactic on Monday announced plans to sell up to $500 million worth of shares. The announcement came in after the company successfully finished its first fully crewed test flight into space with billionaire founder Richard Branson on board.

Virgin Galactic on Monday announced plans to sell up to $500 million worth of shares. The announcement came in after the company successfully finished its first fully crewed test flight into space with billionaire founder Richard Branson on board. Soon after the announcement, Virgin Galactic's shares rose by 8 per cent premarket, but soon fell 10 per cent in early trading. Branson's trip upstaged rival space tourism venture Blue Origin and its founder Jeff Bezos. The ongoing tussle has been called the "billionaire space race". Bezos is slated to fly to space on July 20 along with his brother Mark. Bezos founded the retail giant Amazon.com Inc. According to the Swiss investment bank UBS, the potential value of space tourism could reach $3 annual value by 2030. Virgin Galactic is expected to begin commercial space operations next year with two flights planned in the coming months. The company was founded in 2004. After a successful trip to space, Richard Branson has urged young people to achieve their dreams and aim for the stars, quite literally. Also read: 'Generation of dreamers': Richard Branson leaves message for youngsters after space trip Giving out the message of never giving up, Branson told youngsters in a tweet, "To the next generation of dreamers: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do". Branson said he had always wanted to fly high and his dream has come true as he became one of the first humans to travel on commercial spaceflight. "I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship looking down to our beautiful Earth," he said in a live feed video. Also read: WATCH| Richard Branson's spaceflight touches down after successful trip to space Branson believes space is 'for all humanity' and has thus teamed up with Omaze to give interested candidates a chance to travel to space. Interested people can now fill in their details on Omaze.com/space. "Every charitable donation goes to support Space For Humanity and you’ll be entered into the Omaze sweepstake for the chance to win two seats aboard one of the first commercial Virgin Galactic space flights," Branson announced.

Virgin Galactic files for $500 million stock sale after spaceflight success