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Recent News

March 7, 2023

LOWERING COST OF SPACE TRAVEL Read More


February 17, 2023

VMS EVE TAKES FLIGHT!! Read More


August 2, 2022

COMING SOON!! ASTRONAUT CAMPUS & TRAINING FACILITY Read More


July 27, 2022

SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVEILS PATENTED CAPSULE DESIGN Read More


July 6, 2022

VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES NEXT GENERATION MOTHERSHIPS Read More


April 12, 2022

SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVAILS IMAGES OF BALLOON CAPSULE Read More


October 25, 2021

BLUE ORIGIN & SIERRA SPACE DEVELOP SPACE STATION Read More


October 8, 2021

BLUE ORIGIN ASTRONAUT TRAINS WITH DEPREZ TRAVEL Read More


October 1, 2021

DEPREZ CHARTERS ZERO-G AIRCRAFT TO ROCHESTER Read More


August 5, 2021

VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES Q2 FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR 2021 Read More


July 15, 2021

DEPREZ TRAVEL AND RMSC ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP Read More


July 15, 2021

MUSK BOOKED SEAT ON VIRGIN GALACTIC Read More


June 25, 2021

FAA OK'S VIRGIN GALACTIC TO LAUNCH CUSTOMERS TO SPACE Read More


June 18, 2021

SPACE PERSPECTIVE CONFIRMS SUCCESSFUL TEST FLIGHT Read More


May 22, 2021

VIRGIN GALACTIC'S FIRST HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT FROM NM Read More


February 25, 2021

VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES Q4 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020 Read More


November 23, 2020

MEET PILOT CJ STURCKOW Read More


October 27, 2020

VIRGIN GALACTIC HIRES 2 NEW PILOTS Read More


June 22, 2020

VIRGIN GALACTIC SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH NASA Read More


May 1, 2020

VSS UNITY SPACESHIPTWO GOES SOLO IN NEW MEXICO Read More


February 25, 2020

ONE SMALL STEP BEGINS YOUR JOURNEY TO SPACE Read More


February 13, 2020

VSS UNITY MOVES TO SPACEPORT AMERICA Read More


October 16, 2019

YOUR SPACE SUITS HAVE BEEN REVEALED Read More


August 22, 2019

SPACEPORT AMERICA: UNVEILING NEW AREAS Read More


February 22, 2019

VSS UNITY RETURNS TO SPACE WITH 3 ONBOARD Read More


January 7, 2019

NEW MOMENT IN SPACE HISTORY Read More


December 13, 2018

VIRGIN GALACTIC'S VSS UNITY REACHES SPACE Read More


December 7, 2018

ORION SPAN - DEMOCRATIZATION OF SPACE STARTS TODAY! Read More


July 26, 2018

VG ANNOUNCES VSS UNITY BREAKS MACH 2 Read More


July 6, 2018

VG ANNOUNCES FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT WITH ITALY Read More


April 9, 2018

SPACE HOTEL EYES 2021 LAUNCH DATE Read More


April 5, 2018

ORION SPAN ANNOUNCES WORLD'S 1st LUXURY SPACE HOTEL Read More


April 5, 2018

VSS UNITY'S FIRST POWERED TEST FLIGHT Read More


August 4, 2017

UPDATE: VSS UNITY 6th GLIDE FLIGHT Read More


May 1, 2017

VSS UNITY'S FIRST FEATHER FLIGHT Read More


December 3, 2016

VSS UNITY COMPLETES HER FIRST GLIDE FLIGHT Read More


September 8, 2016

VIRGIN GALACTIC IS IN THE AIR AGAIN! Read More


May 22, 2015

VG FIRST MAJOR MILESTONE IN RETURN TO FLIGHT PLAN Read More


Dec 5, 2014

NASA LAUNCHES ORION SPACECRAFT - FIRST STEP TO MARS Read More


May 23, 2014

VG VIRGIN GALACTIC ROCKET MOTOR MILESTONE Read More


January 10, 2014

VG 3rd POWERED TEST FLIGHT SUCESSFUL Read More


September 5, 2013

VG ACHIEVES SECOND SUPERSONIC FLIGHT Read More


May 29, 2013

VG SEAT NEXT TO LEONARDO DICAPRIO AUCTIONED FOR $1.5 MILLION Read More


May 29, 2013

CURRAN INTERVIEWED BY DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE Read More


June 28, 2012

SPACE TOURISM IS HERE! NY TIMES INTERVIEWS CRAIG CURRAN Read More


Read Archives


Virgin Recruits Pilot-Astronauts

 

 

SpaceShipOne in 2004April 2011 yielded yet another sign that Virgin Galactic is well on its way to becoming the world's first commercial space line when the company began recruiting its first wave of pilot-astronauts. The announcement generated extensive media coverage around the globe and in this Space Bulletin we look at what it takes to earn the exciting job title of "Virgin Galactic Pilot-Astronaut"...

So far 420 people from around the world have put down deposits to secure their place in space. Many steps need to be taken to ensure that Virgin Galactic offer passengers a ride that is not only memorable but as safe as it can possibly be. A major part of that is a rigorous test flight program and ensuring the most experienced pilots are prepared to carry out commercial flights. Scaled Composites is designing, developing and testing the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo vehicles for Virgin Galactic and employ a team of extremely experienced professional test pilots to undertake the extensive flight testing required. The Spaceship Company (TSC), a joint venture between Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites, is on track to manufacture two additional WhiteKnightTwo as well as five SpaceShipTwo vehicles. Once each vehicle is prepared it is handed over to Virgin for commercial flights operated by pilots employed by Virgin Galactic.

Dave Mackay
Dave Mackay -
Chief Pilot, Virgin Galactic

"WhiteKnightTwo flies a lot like a regular airliner whereas SpaceShipTwo is more like a nimble jet fighter." says Mark "Forger" Stucky, Test Pilot Engineer for Scaled Composites.

With this in mind Virgin Galactic is seeking Astronaut-Pilots with a combination of jet fighter experience and regular aircraft experience, with commercial airline experience being a big advantage due to the amount of interaction flight crew will have with Virgin Galactic passengers. "We will carry out numerous space flights in order to fully test the vehicles and the passenger experience, always keeping safety in mind." Says Dave Mackay, Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic. "For this reason in the initial phase of recruitment we are looking for pilots with extensive test flying experience in order to prepare for commercial operations."

 

Despite strict entry criteria that assures only the best of the best can be considered, Virgin Galactic was pleasantly overwhelmed when they received well over 400 serious applications for these astronaut-pilot roles and hope to announce the first recruits shortly."What test pilot wouldn’t want this job? How many people get the chance to test cutting edge aircraft and spacecraft and take them to an operational status for the general public to experience?" says Stucky. "This will be the pinnacle of my career because this project will have the most dramatic "firsts" as well as being the most influential on the future of commercial aviation. I seriously believe that due to the nature of the project, the vast public interest and how the Internet makes the world more connected; that this project has the potential to have the most dramatic affect on commercial flight than any before."

Even if you don’t think you have what it takes to become an astronaut-pilot you can still reserve your place in space with Virgin Galactic. Discover the Inner Astronuat in you! Contact us today for more information and to book your flight!

 

WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo

 

For More Information Please Contact:

CRAIG CURRAN , ASA
Galactic Experiences By DePrez, DePrez Travel Bureau, Inc.
585-442-8900 X224

Accredited Galactic Space Agent

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