Virgin Galactic Signs Agreement With NASA to Offer Private Spaceflight Experiences Written 22 June 2020
SpaceShipTwo "Unity" at rollout event on 19 February 2016 | By Ronrosano/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Space News reports that Virgin Galactic “announced June 22 it has signed an agreement with NASA to support development of a program to train and potentially procure rides for private individuals seeking to fly to the International Space Station.” The company “said it signed a Space Act Agreement with the Johnson Space Center to develop a ‘private orbital astronaut readiness program.’ That initiative would support renewed efforts by NASA, announced a little more than a year ago, to increase commercial use of the station, including visits by private astronauts.” Because Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo is only capable of suborbital flight, it is likely that the company will work with The Boeing Company or SpaceX to send individuals to the ISS.
Full Story (Space News)