64.6 F
Laguna Hills
Friday, Jul 11, 2025
-Advertisement-

Virgin Galactic Completes 1st Mission

Opens space tourism era

Tustin-based space tourism firm Virgin Galactic completed its first commercial mission Thursday morning, taking a crew from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy to the edge of space from a site in New Mexico.

The rocket-powered spacecraft soared about 50 miles above Earth during the approximately 90-minute ride and then glided back to its starting point on a runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

The company’s first true tourism space flight, with customers paying some $450,000 a seat, is expected in August. 

Shares in the company (NYSE: SPCE), founded by U.K. mega entrepreneur Richard Branson, were down 10% to $4.26 apiece for a market cap of $1.2 billion after completion of  the flight dubbed Galactic 01.

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

Would you like to subscribe to Orange County Business Journal?

One-Year for Only $99

  • Unlimited access to OCBJ.com
  • Daily OCBJ Updates delivered via email each weekday morning
  • Journal issues in both print and digital format
  • The annual Book of Lists: industry of Orange County's leading companies
  • Special Features: OC's Wealthiest, OC 500, Best Places to Work, Charity Event Guide, and many more!

Kevin Costelloe
Kevin Costelloe
Tech reporter at Orange County Business Journal
-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-