Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Galactic, and his crew launched a new chapter in space history on July 11, 2021 with the launch of Unity 22 from Mexico. This journey will usher in the space tourism industry. The VSS Unity was attached to the hull of the Virgin Galactic's twin aircraft, and the VSS Unity unit was removed from the aircraft 50 minutes after takeoff. The total flight was 80 KM and the flight finally landed in Virgin Galactic New Mexico. However, Richard Branson's participation in the launch is to show the world that his flights are safe. In 2014, a pilot was killed and a catastrophe occurred during an experiment conducted by the company. On June 20, Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos also took to space with his personal rocket.
The Unity mission is trying to create a fast-growing space travel market. About 600 tickets have been sold since 2004, none of which have been flown into space. The company plans to launch a commercial space tourism business in 2022. Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk have already invested in the industry and will launch those projects by 2022.
Some have accused the Virgin Galactic of not actually flying into space, while his competitor Jeff Bezos has congratulated the Virgin Galactic project. Richard Branson tweeted, thanking everyone who wished him well and his friend Elon Musk.