L'azienda spaziale Virgin Galactic nel 2020 vuole portare per la prima volta turisti nello spazio con un mezzo di fabbricazione mista tra razzo e aereo. Lo ha comunicato giovedì il capo della società George Whitesides durante la presentazione del nuovo centro di controllo nel deserto dello Stato del New Mexico.
"Oggi è un grande giorno per annunciare la prontezza operativa dello spazioporto", ha detto affermando che il progetto è ormai "in dirittura d'arrivo".
I turisti, che pagheranno, potranno trascorrere alcuni minuti nello spazio osservando la terra attraverso grandi finestre, mentre sperimentano l'esperienza dell'assenza di peso.
Fino ad ora, 600 persone provenienti da 60 paesi diversi hanno prenotato il loro viaggio. Tuttavia, la Virgin Galactic ha ripetutamente posticipato la partenza, soprattutto dopo l'incidente del 2014 in cui un copilota ha perso la vita.
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