Wednesday 20 March 2019 Blog

Private jets can fly thanks to air moving over and below their wings, which pull them up and holds them at the same time. We often think of air as a too light element in terms of weight, to be able to apply much of a force, but for an aircraft with large enough wings, designed with an aerodynamic shape, our atmosphere can do the job. Aircrafts can't fly much higher than about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles). The particles of oxygen are too rarefied above that altitude to hold the plane up and keep it flying.

Enabling regular and safe human transportation into space is one of the biggest wishes since ever, and provide a way to open the access to space for the global market is a fundamentally challenging ambition.

Well, two big companies managed to make this dream come true: Virgin Galactic, a part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, and SpaceX founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The first one was founded in 2004 and focus on using space for good while delivering an exclusive space flight experience to the customers. White Knight Two (named Eve and Cosmic Girl) is the mother ship and launch platform, which sends in the orbit the Space Ship (named Unity and Enterprise).

Space X was founded in 2002 with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. The company is a leading participant in NASA's Commercial Crew program to develop the technologies and systems necessary for human carriage. The company can also offer transportation services for commercial customers. Its vehicles are the Falcon vehicles and the Dragon family spacecraft which both currently deliver payloads into Earth orbit.

How does it work?

The Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo is projected to fly to a height of 110 km, going beyond the defined boundary of space (100 km) and offering the experience of weightlessness for its passengers. The spacecraft would reach a top speed of 4000 km/h (2485 mph).

The spacecraft will be a two-stage air-launched vehicle. First stage will be powered by liquid rocket engine, while second stage will be powered by a 16 kilonewtons (3,500 lbf) thrust engine.

How much it costs?

A space trip is offered now only prior booking (waiting time might be years long) and the price is around €250.000 per person.

If you feel like you are not ready yet for the spacecraft, keep yourself into the earth atmosphere and do something as glamour as the space trip, but on a private jet instead. Your fantasy has no limits… and we can assist you with any request!

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