Generative Data Intelligence and the Final Frontier: Virgin Galactic’s Historic Last VSS Unity Flight Ushers in a New Era of Space Exploration

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Title: Creating Data-Driven Insights

Virgin Galactic completes its last commercial suborbital space mission with VSS Unity

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Updated at 6:15 p.m. Eastern to include remarks from the post-flight press conference.

SPACEPORT AMERICA, N.M. — On June 8, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spaceplane completed its last commercial flight, carrying a researcher from Turkey and three private astronauts on a suborbital journey.

VSS Unity, which was connected to the VMS Eve carrier aircraft, departed from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico at 10:31 a.m. Eastern Time. Unity separated from Eve at 11:26 a.m. Eastern Time, following its usual suborbital path to reach a height of 87.5 kilometers before smoothly landing back at the spaceport at 11:41 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Galactic 07 mission included Tuva Atasever, a researcher and astronaut from Turkey. His journey was coordinated by Axiom Space, the same organization that sent another Turkish astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, on the Ax-3 private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in January. Atasever served as the alternate for that mission.

Atasever had a schedule of seven experiments to carry out during the suborbital trip. "The experimental aspect of the mission was extremely successful," he mentioned during a press briefing following the flight. The experiments involved devices to measure brain activity, tools to track radiation levels, and insulin pens adapted for use in microgravity. He highlighted that the brain activity experiment aimed to detect any alterations in brain function associated with the "Overview Effect," a shift in perception that astronauts experience when viewing Earth from space.

He mentioned that trials of the insulin pens, which were part of an experiment created by Axiom Space, showed they were malfunctioning in the week before the flight. "We made some adjustments, tweaked a few aspects, and this time they functioned flawlessly in microgravity," he stated.

The spacecraft was equipped with a rack containing automated experiments from Purdue University, designed to examine how propellant behaves in microgravity, and from the University of California Berkeley, aimed at testing 3D printing technology. These experiments were conducted as part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities program.

The remaining three passengers were private astronauts, and Virgin Galactic revealed their identities only once the spacecraft had touched down. They were

The Unity mission was led by Nicola Pecile, who was on his fourth journey, with Jameel Janjua serving as the pilot for his inaugural spaceflight.

This marked the seventh commercial voyage for VSS Unity and its 12th flight in total. Additionally, it will be the final mission for VSS Unity, which is the second spacecraft of the SpaceShipTwo class created by Virgin Galactic. The company is now concentrating on finishing the development of the new Delta series of spacecraft.

"This marks the last voyage for Unity, yet it signifies a new beginning," stated Mike Moses, president of Virgin Galactic, during a press briefing at the spaceport on June 7. "We are on the brink of a fresh and exciting phase."

The firm revealed last November that it plans to phase out Unity by mid-2024. This move aims to save approximately $1 billion, allowing them to focus on finalizing the Delta vehicle series. The Delta series is expected to offer significantly increased flight frequencies and reduced operational expenses, which are crucial for the firm's business model to be viable.

According to Moses, the Delta-class vehicle will have an identical appearance to Unity. However, the significant differences lie in its design, construction, and operation.

“We aim to leverage all the development progress made on the Unity spacecraft for Delta,” stated Steve Justice, who is the senior vice president of spaceline programs and engineering at Virgin Galactic. “Our goal is to only create what is absolutely necessary.”

This innovation mainly focuses on utilizing various composite materials and advanced manufacturing methods to allow for faster and more cost-effective vehicle production. Additionally, it significantly depends on contractors to construct essential components of the vehicle, which Virgin Galactic will then put together at a new facility located in Mesa, Arizona, close to Phoenix.

Moses mentioned that the parts for the initial two Delta-class vehicles are expected to arrive at the Arizona site towards the end of this year and the beginning of the next. Virgin will handle the final assembly and conduct ground tests there. The company aims to initiate flight tests by late 2025 and launch commercial operations in 2026.

"Unity set a precedent and showed what could be achieved," he stated. "Delta is poised to be transformative."

"It's somewhat melancholic to witness Unity's final commercial journey," Pecile commented post-landing, highlighting the coincidence that this flight occurred nearly 20 years after SpaceShipOne, Unity's forerunner, initially took to the skies. "However, we're now focusing our energies on developing the next generation."

Present at the Galactic 07 event was Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, who had his own spaceflight on Unity in July 2021. Following his journey, he expressed his ongoing dedication to the company's mission of making space travel accessible to "thousands and thousands of people."

“That’s the goal of Virgin Galactic. While some have ambitions of reaching Mars, which is also incredibly remarkable,” he stated. “Our mission, however, is to make it possible for many individuals to feel what our astronauts felt today.”

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