Onboard this flight will be two pilots, along with four mission specialists charged with the tasks of evaluating everything from the safety of the flight to the overall astronaut experience. The most talked about specialist on this flight, however, will be Virgin’s founder, Sir Richard Branson. His mission will focus on testing what it’s like to be a private astronaut on VSS Unity, as Virgin Galactic looks to open up space tourism to paying customers in the near future.
“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” said Branson in a Virgin Galactic press release. “After more than 16 years of research, engineering, and testing, Virgin Galactic stands at the vanguard of a new commercial space industry, which is set to open space to humankind and change the world for good. It’s one thing to have a dream of making space more accessible to all; it’s another for an incredible team to collectively turn that dream into reality.
Bolstering the expected fanfare that comes with any Branson-hosted event, hip-hop artist Khalid recently announced he will release a brand new song during the flight’s pre-launch celebrations. The song was inspired Khalid’s by interest in space, according to Rolling Stone magazine. Additionally, Branson said that after he returns from his maiden spaceflight, he has something else special to announce.
“And when we return,” Branson said during an introduction video for this mission’s crew, “I will announce something very exciting to give more people a chance to become astronauts. Because space does belong to us all. So, watch this space.”
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