Virgin Galactic VSS Imagine Spaceship

The space race has been reinvigorated for new generations over the past handful of years with a number of private companies vying to make personal space travel a thing in our lifetimes. While SpaceX is still currently in pole position, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic isn’t far behind with the innovations they’ve been revealing recently. In addition to the Virgin Galactic Space Terminal, Under Armour Collaboration Spacesuit, and their Delta-Wing Mach 3 Aircraft, Virgin Galactic just unveiled the VSS Imagine, the first SpaceShip III in their growing fleet of space-worthy vehicles. The VSS Imagine is scheduled to start ground testing immediately with glide flights planned for this summer out of Spaceport America in New Mexico. This initial proof-of-concept vehicle is built with a modular design and finished entirely with a mirror-like material that allows it to have have improved performance, easier maintenance and a higher flight rate while still being adaptable to the current interior needs and exterior environmental conditions. No word yet on when any of us will actually be able to strap in to the VSS Imagine or a similar Virgin Spaceship III suborbital craft, but we’ll be waiting.