Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceliner is back in action after a gap of almost two years.
Unity's latest spaceflight saw Mike Masucci take command of the plane with pilot CJ Sturckow alongside him.In the back, in the passenger cabin, were four Galactic employees.
"An example would be the pylon - the thing in the middle of the mothership that holds the spaceship. It's perfectly strong, but we would have to go and look at it every single flight. And so we switched to something that lets us now inspect every 20 or 30 or 40 flights," he told BBC News. However, the vast majority of people who got in early to put down deposits for a flight have remained patient. Indeed, the backlog of passengers has steadily grown over time.
The spaceship is designed to give its passengers stunning views at the top of its climb, and allow them a few minutes to experience weightlessness.
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