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2023-06-29 Science & Technology

Inside Virgin Galactic's astronaut school: Behind-the-scenes video reveals the rigorous training the four passengers have gone through ahead of their maiden voyage tomorrow

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Virgin Galactic customers who have splashed out hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trip to space are finally set to be rewarded.

The firm, founded by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, will perform its first commercial flight, 'Galactic 01', tomorrow.

Ahead of the maiden voyage, the four passengers have been through a rigorous training programme at Virgin Galactic's 'astronaut school.'

Behind-the-scenes footage shows the crew preparing for the mission, including test flights, safety training and a flight walkthrough.

The flight is set to take off at 10:30 ET (15:30 BST) tomorrow.

The 'Galactic 01' flight will see four passengers board VSS Unity for a 90-minute flight to conduct a series of 13 suborbital science experiments.

Galactic 01 will be followed by a second commercial spaceflight, 'Galactic 02,' in early August 2023, with monthly spaceflights expected thereafter.

Virgin Galactic completed its final test flight in May when it sent a crew of four company employees more than 50 miles above the surface of the Earth.

Virgin Galactic has sold about 800 tickets for its space trip over the past decade, with the initial batch going for $200,000 (£156,000) each, but they now cost $450,000 (£350,000) per person.

Virgin Galactic's launch method is different from SpaceX and Blue Origin, which perform dramatic vertical rocket launches much like NASA.

Virgin Galactic uses a carrier aircraft called White Knight Two with two pilots who take off from a runway and then gain high altitude.

When at just under 10 miles high (50,000 feet), White Knight Two releases its rocket-powered crewed spaceplane VSS Unity, which ignites its rocket motor and soars even higher.