A British Olympian and a mother-daughter duo will be on the flight.
The first Virgin Galactic flight carrying ticketed passengers is due to launch today at 4pm BST from Spaceport America, New Mexico.
Flying on board the VSS Unity will be former British Olympian Jon Goodwin, health and wellness coach Keisha Schahaff and her daughter Anastasia Meyers.
Who will be flying onboard Virgin Galactic?
Jon Goodwin, 80, competed for Britain as a canoeist in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
He bought his ticket back in 2005, but thought his plans might have to be curtailed when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s nine years ago.
“I inevitably thought they’d say I could no longer go because of Parkinson’s but they haven’t done that and I’m very honoured that’s the case,” says Goodwin, who wants to use his flight to raise awareness of the condition.
“When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, I was determined not to let it stand in the way of living life to the fullest…. I hope this inspires all others facing adversity and shows them that challenges don’t have to inhibit or stop them from pursuing their dreams.”
Also on the flight is Keisha Schahaff who was born and raised in Antigua and Barbuda.
She is a health and wellness coach with a love for the stars who won her flight in fundraising competition run by Space for Humanity.
“When I was two years old, just looking up to the skies, I thought, ‘How can I get there?’ But, being from the Caribbean, I didn’t see how something like this would be possible,” says Schahaff.
“The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible.”
Accompanying her is Schahaff’s daughter, Anastatia Mayer, who is currently studying philosophy and physics at Aberdeen University.
They will be the first mother-daughter pair to approach space, as well as the first people from the Caribbean.
Also on board will be Virgin Galactic crew commander Mike Masucci, pilot Nicola Pecile and chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses.
How will Virgin Galactic get to the edge of space?
The first stage of the flight’s ascent will be powered by VMS Eve, a carrier plane which will lift them to an altitude of 15km.
From here, Unity will detach from Eve, before firing its own thrusters to reach an altitude of 85km.
At the top of its climb, the passengers will be able to get out of their seats to experience weightlessness for around four to five minutes.
During this time they will also be able to look out of the window to see the curvature of Earth beneath them and the starry sky above.
However, as the most widely recognised boundary for the ‘edge of space’ is the so-called Kármán line at an altitude of 100km, the flight will not fully technically enter space.
How can I watch the launch?
Virgin Galactic will be live streaming the launch.
You can watch it here.
