Virgin Galactic's space program has suffered years of delay, including a 2014 accident that killed a pilot. This flight, which is the fifth of the company to cross the border of space, was presented as the last test before the start of commercial operations.
Virgin Galactic competes with billionaire Jeff Bezos' company, Blue Origin, which also offers short suborbital flights and has already sent 32 people into space. Since an accident in September 2022 during an unmanned flight, his rocket has been grounded, but Blue Origin promised in March to resume its spaceflight "soon"