Richard Branson Spaceflight Plans in July 2021
Virgin Galactic announced plans for its founder to join the Unity 22 test flight in July 2021. Our original report looked ahead to a flight window opening on 11 July. However, the proposed timing still depended on preparations and conditions.
Branson would fly aboard VSS Unity with other crew members. In addition, the mission aimed to assess the cabin experience as part of the company’s test programme. Read Virgin Galactic’s original announcement for the planned mission.
The Unity 22 Test Flight
The Richard Branson spaceflight took place on 11 July 2021. Virgin Galactic reported that it completed its first fully crewed spaceflight. Meanwhile, the event drew attention to the company’s approach to suborbital passenger journeys.
See the company’s flight completion report for the outcome. For example, it identifies Unity 22 as the 22nd VSS Unity test flight. Therefore, this was a milestone in a continuing programme rather than the whole story of commercial service.
Richard Branson Spaceflight and Jeff Bezos
Our original article compared the flight schedule with Jeff Bezos’s planned New Shepard journey. Branson’s 11 July date came nine days before Blue Origin’s 20 July target. In particular, the comparison concerned Branson and Bezos, as reported in July 2021.
Blue Origin later completed its first human flight on 20 July. Read its mission updates for the details. The two companies used different vehicles and flight profiles, even though both events featured in the wider space tourism discussion.
Explore More Space Tourism Stories
This Richard Branson spaceflight article records the context of the July 2021 announcement and its later outcome. To discover more developments, browse RocketBreaks news. Alternatively, explore our Earth-based space experiences to connect with space closer to home.