Colin Bennett (astronaut)

Background

In early June 2021, Jeff Bezos announced his intention to fly on the first crewed flight of Blue Origin, a suborbital spaceflight that could claim one of two possible firsts depending on the definition of space: under the international Kármán line (100 km), it would be the first such flight with passengers; under the U.S. 50-mile boundary, it would be the first with more than one passenger. This was because SpaceShipOne had previously reached 100 km with only a pilot, while Virgin Galactic had flown above 50 miles with one passenger.

Shortly after Bezos's announcement, rumors emerged that Richard Branson was preparing his own suborbital flight on his company's vehicle, potentially beating Bezos to those achievements. The rivalry was dubbed the "billionaire space race," though Bezos offered well wishes to Branson before the flight. Elon Musk met with Branson shortly before the launch. There has been debate over whether Virgin Galactic's flights, which approach but may not reach the Kármán line, qualify as commercial private spaceflights under the international definition.

Flight

On July 11, 2021, the carrier plane VMS Eve lifted off with VSS Unity attached beneath it, later releasing the spacecraft midair. A red warning light came on during the climb, signaling a problem with the entry glide cone, yet the mission continued and touched down without incident. Passengers enjoyed roughly four minutes of weightlessness, and Unity landed 14 minutes and 17 seconds after separation. The Federal Aviation Administration opened an inquiry because of the glide cone issue and a route deviation.

Virgin Galactic downplayed any safety risk and stated it was cooperating. In September 2021, the FAA grounded SpaceShipTwo pending the probe’s outcome. Former Virgin Galactic test pilot Mark P. Stucky criticized the flight’s handling and the company’s response on Twitter. The FAA later allowed flights to restart after widening the restricted airspace around the flight zone.

Did You Know?

• The flight was the first time more than three people flew suborbitally on a spaceflight.
• Branson was the first founder of a spaceflight company to fly to space on his own company's craft, using the USAF/NASA definition of space as above 50 miles.