Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo reaches space, bringing space tourism closer

Today in the Mojave desert, Virgin Galactic had a successful test flight that reached 50 miles above the surface of the earth, meeting the Federal Aviation administration's definition of space. This places the company one step closer to the long-awaited goal Richard Branson promised: space tourism.

SpaceShipTwo, welcome to space.

- Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) December 13, 2018

Lovely shot of takeoff! WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo take to the skies pic.twitter.com/JFcSDVB9jR

- Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) December 13, 2018

Breaking: Virgin Galactic reached suborbital space for the first time in a test flight Thursday, bringing Richard Branson's company closer to flying its customers beyond Earth's atmosphere. https://t.co/1DZ4dYYOYZ

- Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 13, 2018

On the flightline @virgingalactic @TheSpaceshipCo pic.twitter.com/5PyOpnnxV2

- Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 13, 2018