Virgin Galactic’s first tourism space flight successfully lands

SPACEPORT, NM (KVIA) -- History in the making as Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity prepares for their first tourist aboard launch from Spaceport America at 9 a.m. (MDT). This marks the beginning of a new era in space tourism, with three tourists embarking on a breathtaking journey to the edge of space.

Meet the Trio:

Jon Goodwin: A British Olympian canoeist, Jon Goodwin's dream of space travel has spanned decades. From the age of 62, he's waited for this day to arrive, and now at 80 years old marks one of the oldest people to venture into space. Goodwin was diagnosed with Parkinson in 2014 but this is not stopping him from the adventure, making him the second man with Parkinson to go to space after astronaut, Rich Clifford.

Keisha Schahaff and Anastasia Myers: This mother-daughter duo's journey began with a stroke of luck. Their names were drawn in a prize giveaway during a Virgin Atlantic flight, securing their spot on this historic mission. Coming from the Caribbean islands, Keisha and Anastasia are not only the first mother-daughter pair to visit space, but they also proudly representing Antigua and Barbuda.

Meet the Space Pioneer:

Beth Moses: A veteran of three previous space missions with Virgin Galactic, Beth Moses brings her expertise to the team as Chief Astronaut Instructor. 

Meet the Pilots:

Nicola Pecile and Mike Masucci: These skilled pilots are at the helm of VMS Eve, the mothership aircraft that will carry VSS Unity to its launch altitude. 

CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer: Piloting the VSS Unity itself, CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer will guide the spacecraft as it detaches from VMS Eve and ignites its rocket motor, hurtling toward the vast expanse of space.

As VSS Unity takes flight, hitched to VMS Eve, it will ascend to an altitude of 50,000 feet before embarking on its independent journey. The rocket motor will ignite, propelling the spacecraft to peak at 300,000 feet above Earth.

This mission isn't just a single step for Virgin Galactic; it's a giant leap for space tourism and human exploration. There are now 800 people on the waitlist to embark the journey into the edge of space.

Tune into the live stream of history in the making as we witness the beginning of space tourism.