In the private space race, as Elon Musk’s SpaceX finishes yet another successful mission with Crew Dragon, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is making its own headlines with their newly designed spacecraft. Branson’s intentions are not space exploration, but rather tapping into the commercial aspect of space travel.
The modern aircraft, dubbed the Spaceship Two, will carry six passengers into space for a few minutes of weightless travel with the steep price of $250,000 per seat. In partnership with London studio, Seymourpowell, the space company has officially designed the interior to its two cabin aircraft, which they describe as “an elegant but progressive, experience-focused concept.”
The sleek interior includes 12 windows in order for the passengers to get the best all around views of space. The seats are engineered from aluminium and carbon-fiber, covered by a 3D knitted sleeve, which was developed by UnderArmor. The same sportswear company that helped develop Virgin Galactic’s spacesuits. Seymourpowell’s color scheme for the interior is meant to mirror those that appear in the spacesuits. The chairs will be able to recline all the way back for a full range of motion, and to create the best experience for the passengers. They also installed led lights that will add to the “mood” of the space trip.
The interior was revealed on July 28th via a Youtube Livestream, but people can also get a hands-on experience of what it would look like to be inside the aircraft with the augmented reality app, “Virgin Galactic,” that was also launched last week.
Although many countries still have a stake in space exploration, there has been a shift with the opportunity for commercial space travel to take place. While the excitement of colonizing the moon and Mars are still at play, Virgin Galactic will offer a unique experience to those who are willing to pay the price.
