British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (NYSE:SPCE) is set to carry its first passengers into near-earth orbit.
The VSS Unity space plane will take off from a New Mexico spaceport at 11 am ET, tethered to a large twin-fuselage mothership, VMS Eve.
The flight will host three passengers: Keisha Schahaff, her daughter Anastatia Mayers, and former Olympian Jon Goodwin.
Schahaff and Mayers, the first space travelers from Antigua, secured their seats through a fundraiser, while Goodwin, diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, had booked his ticket over a decade ago.
The flight will ascend over 50 miles above Earth, where passengers will experience weightlessness before returning.
This mission follows Virgin Galactic's successful first commercial flight in June. The company, having faced delays since its 2004 inception, has sold around 800 tickets for future flights.
Virgin Galactic aims to introduce more efficient "Delta ships" by 2026, marking advancements in space tourism.
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