Sir Richard Branson Rings Opening Bell As Virgin Galactic Holdings Joins NYSE
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 28:  Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Galactic, poses for photographs before ringing a ceremonial bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to promote the first day of trading of Virgin Galactic Holdings shares on October 28, 2019 in New York City. Virgin Galactic Holdings became the first space-tourism company to go public as it began trading on Monday with a market value of about $1 billion. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The successful first human spaceflight from Virgin Galactic reached space on Saturday morning after its launching at 8:34 a.m. from Spaceport America, near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The process that took two years is considered a major step in reaching Virgin Galactic's space tourism dream.

Space Tourism Dream

The SpaceShipTwo, an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type, was specifically designed for space tourism purposes. It was operated by Pilots Kelly Latimer and Michael Masucci. It carried VSS Unity, a suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane, flown by Pilots C.J. Sturckow and Dave Mackay. Based on the company's projection, it will be used as part of the Virgin Galactic spaceline.

The company, Virgin Galactic, aspires to become the first-ever commercial spaceline. Its SpaceShipTwo carried VSS Unity to around 44,000 feet before the spacecraft detached at 9:26 a.m. and continued its space travel.

According to Border Report, Virgin Galactic mentioned in their news released that VSS Unity was able to achieve a speed of Mach 3 after its release from the mothership, VMS Eve. It reached space at an altitude of 55.45 miles before it glided smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America.

The successful flight on Saturday brings Virgin Galactic's space tourism dream closer to life, The Verge reported.

New Mexico Reached the Stars

State government officials shared that New Mexico became the third state in the United States to send humans into space. The launching was attended by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Grisham stated that she was proud of New Mexico's role in achieving such innovation.

Moreover, Lujan Grisham shared that after so many years and hard work, the state of New Mexico has finally reached the stars. The New Mexico Governor also mentioned that their state's scientific legacy had been honored by the important achievement. She added that the move took guts and faith, and an unwavering belief in what New Mexico can achieve and is destined to achieve. Lujan Grisham also said that she cannot wait to see what comes next for the state.

In addition, on the exterior of the spaceship, Virgin Galactic mentioned that they put a Zia Sun symbol, and the crew flew green chile seeds, which is similar to the rich agricultural and culinary history of New Mexico.

Aside from the New Mexico Governor, the founder of Virgin Galactic and British billionaire Sir Richard Branson also attended the launching. He celebrated the successful launch together with a small group of individuals. In his social media account, Branson confirmed that two pilots and a research payload belonging to NASA had reached space.

Furthermore, during the successful flight, the company said that it completed a number of test objectives. The said objectives are part of the Flight Opportunities Program of NASA and its data collection that will be used as a requirement for spacecraft operator licensing, CBS News reported.

The successful launch came after numerous setbacks that the company has experienced in the past. The company explored the spaceline possibility for 17 years already.

WATCH: Virgin Galactic Completes First-Ever Spaceflight from New Mexico - Virgin Galactic