For many years, Richard Branson’s dream of space exploration seemed to be coming true. He poured resources into his ambitious space endeavour, Virgin Galactic, and finally sent people into space for the first time in December of 2020.
Unfortunately, the triumph was short-lived. On March 25, 2021, Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft VSS Unity crashed in California’s Mojave Desert, its mission of sending passengers into space officially over. While no one was injured in the crash, it was a devastating blow to Branson’s dreams of launching his own space company.
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined, but the subsequent investigation revealed that VSS Unity experienced a malfunction in its onboard flight system, leaving it unable to continue its journey into space. The result was a crash to the desert floor, an event which reverberated throughout the entire space industry.
Branson’s dream of a “space tourism” business had been growing for years. He brought in incredibly talented staff and spent close to one billion dollars developing the technology for this bold venture. He also convinced a number of customers, or “space tourists”, to book seats on Virgin Galactic’s spaceship, at a cost of $250,000.
Unfortunately, his big dreams have been grounded for now. Virgin Galactic’s future is uncertain and Branson’s ambition of pioneering a new space industry has been put on hold. Branson himself has put out a statement expressing his sadness at the crash and vowing to continue working towards his goal.
It remains to be seen if Virgin Galactic can recover from the crash and launch into space once more. In the meantime, this event serves as a reminder that while the space industry is exciting and has large potential, it also carries with it many risks. The success of this industry rests on careful attention to safety procedures, and hopefully, companies like Virgin Galactic can learn from this experience and take the necessary steps to bring us closer to the dream of space exploration.
