BLAST OFF
VIRGIN Galactic launched and successfully landed its first space tourism flight today.
The huge plane that carries the spacecraft released it on its journey above the New Mexico desert.
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Sir Richard Branson's space firm followed in the footsteps of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos by sending paying customers to space.
The Galactic 02 mission has six crew members, three of whom are tourists.
Retired British Olympian Jon Goodwin paid $250,000 (£191,000) for his ticket.
The 80-year-old purchased his spot on the flight back in 2005.
Antiguan mother and daughter Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers are the other tourists on the flight.
The 46-year-old mother and her 18-year-old daughter, who is an Aberdeen University student, won their tickets in a sweepstake competition.
Post-landing, Schahaff described the experience as "amazing" and said, "I'm still there right now."
Goodwin, who waited 18 years to go on the flight, said: "It exceeded my expectations."
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Mayers said: "Actually, last night I was getting second thoughts."
She explained that this morning she woke up feeling ready and that this was what she was supposed to do.
Mayers, the youngest astronaut in history, took a ring from her boyfriend on the flight.
She also took photos of her loved ones and a pin from her university.
Virgin Galactic launched the space flight from its base in New Mexico.
The flight involves a mothership plane that carries the space vehicle up to a point where it can be released and shoot to space.
The release happed around 9:20am local time, which is 4:20pm BST and 11:20am ET.
A live stream started at 9am local time and on YouTube.
The flight aimed to reach a height of 50 miles above sea level.
This provides views of the Earth and a feeling of weightlessness for the passengers.
They were able to remove their seatbelts and float around the plane.
The flight is historic for numerous reasons.
Virgin Galatic says it's sent the youngest person to space and the first mother-daughter duo.
They're also the first citizens of Antigua to go to space and the first women from the Caribbean.
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Goodwin is the first Olympian and the second person diagnosed with Parkinson’s to go to space.
Virgin Galactic says the flight was also historic for taking the most women to space at one time.
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