Watch the launch of Virgin Galactic’s first commercial spaceflight

After years of testing and delays, Virgin Galactic’s first commercial spaceflight is finally taking off — today, if the company’s plan goes as intended. Galactic 01 is scheduled to launch from the company’s Spaceport America facility in New Mexico past 11AM Eastern time, and you can stream the event live on Virgin Galactic’s website or through the video below.

The mission will carry a three-person crew from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy to suborbital space aboard the VSS Unity. That’s Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo space plane, which first reached space back in 2018. The flight will last for 90 minutes, during which the crew will conduct 13 scientific experiments. A particular experiment requires one of the passengers, Col. Walter Villadei, to wear a state-of-the-art smart suit to measure his physiological responses and biometric data in space. 

Virgin Galactic posted a net loss of $159.4 million for the quarter ending in March 31st this year, almost twice the loss it posted for the same period a year ago. Galactic 01’s success will lead to more and frequent launches in the future, and that could eventually lead to profitability. If this mission goes off without a hitch, the company plans to launch Galactic 02 with a private crew in early August. After that, the company plans to launch suborbital flights on a monthly basis, charging passengers $450,000 a seat.