Commercial space trips are a step closer to becoming reality after Virgin Galactic’s spaceship took a glide and landed safely in the New Mexico desert.
The company announced the VSS Unity's safe arrival on social media and shared photos of the craft on the runway on Friday.
A small number of test flights are needed before Virgin Galactic can take paying customers on supersonic thrill rides to the lower reaches of space.
However, it is anticipated that the date for the first commercial flights will be announced in 2020.
The suborbital flights will reach an altitude of at least 50 miles before the spaceship glides to a landing.
The company considered Friday’s flight a major achievement that has been in the works since the spaceship and carrier plane relocated from Space Port in Mojave, California in February.
The flight provided the first opportunity to test all the components required to fly the carrier aircraft and spaceship in glide configuration from their new home base.
Officials will now be reviewing data gathered during the exercise so they can prepare for the next test flight.
