Virgin Galactic space tourism flights could start as soon as 2021

Virgin Galactic is due to carry out the first crewed test flight of their tourist spaceplane today.

The VSS Unity, the second of the SpaceShipTwo craft to join Sir Richard Branson's fleet, is set to take off from New Mexico, United States in a move to start space tourism services as early as next year.

The plane will aim to have a powered climb above New Mexico's commercial operation centre, Spaceport America.

To achieve such milestone technology, which also promises to be safe and low cost for consumers, has not been an easy road for Virgin Galactic, especially with the manufacturing process being hindered by the coronavirus pandemic and previous disastrous accidents.

This comes as last year, NASA announced that from 2020, space tourists would be able to visit the International Space Station with the help of companies like SpaceX and Boeing Starliner.