Virgin Galactic, the American spaceflight company, is gearing up for the launch of its second commercial spaceflight mission, Galactic-02, on August 10. This mission is set to make history by carrying three private astronauts on a suborbital spaceflight aboard Virgin Galactic's reusable spaceplane, the VSS Unity. The crew includes the first-ever Olympian and Caribbean astronauts to venture into space.
The mission is set to kick off with live coverage starting at 11AM EDT (1500 GMT), as stated on Virgin Galactic's official website. The trio of private astronauts poised for this historic journey includes Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers.
🌌🤩 Jon, Keisha, Ana 🤩🌌 https://t.co/IgXi76o1IX
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) August 8, 2023
At the forefront of this historic journey is 80-year-old Jon Goodwin, an Olympian who competed in the 1972 Munich Games as a canoeist. This mission holds special significance as he aims to become the second person with Parkinson's disease to go to space.
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According to a CNN report, Goodwin recalled the time when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014. He said that he was resolute in not allowing it to hinder his pursuit of a full life.
“And now for me to go to space with Parkinson’s is completely magical,” Goodwin was quoted as saying.
He said that his hope is that this journey serves as an inspiration to all those confronting adversities, demonstrating that “challenges don’t have to inhibit or stop them from pursuing their dreams.”
Goodwin will be joined by Keisha Schahaff, a 46-year-old entrepreneur and health and wellness coach from Antigua and Barbuda. Schahaff earned her spot on this mission by winning two spaceflight seats through a draw that raised $1.7 million in grants for the non-profit organisation Space for Humanity.
As reported by CNN, Schahaff expressed that even at the tender age of two, she used to gaze up at the sky and wonder how she could ever reach up there. However, growing up in the Caribbean, the idea seemed distant and unattainable to her. She further remarked, “The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible.”
Anastatia Mayers, the youngest member of the crew, is set to become the second-youngest person to travel to space at the age of 18 years. She's a university student studying Philosophy and Physics at the University of Aberdeen. She is the daughter of Keisha Schahaff. This will be the first flight of mother and daughter to space together
Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor, will be on board to assess the in-flight experience. Moses is the first woman to fly to space aboard a commercial space vehicle, earning her FAA commercial astronaut wings in 2019. This mission will mark her fourth spaceflight with Virgin Galactic.
The company’s website quoted Virgin Galactic's CEO, Michael Colglazier, saying that this journey really shines a light on two big things that Virgin Galactic deeply cares about - making space more accessible and motivating people all around the planet. He added, “Each of these astronauts is a role model and beacon of inspiration in their communities.”
Seeing Keisha, Ana and Jon take this incredible journey shows that space is becoming open to a wider and more diverse group of people from all over the world, said Colglazier.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Aug 10, 2023 11:24 AM IST
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