Space tourism company Virgin Galactic unveiled the luxury cabin design of its inaugural SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Unity. The high-end design, created by Virgin Galactic in association with London-based design agency, Seymourpowell, offers a six-seater cabin decked out with 17 windows to provide the best possible view of Earth and the stars during trips to space.
In a livestream press conference, Virgin Galactic spokespeople explained that, in zero gravity, the honeycomb-style cabin interior will become a 360-degree climbing frame that passengers can explore during their precious few minutes of weightlessness. There is also a large circular mirror at the back of the cabin so passengers can view themselves floating, along with 16 onboard cameras for recording every moment of the journey.
The seats boast personal digital displays in the seatbacks for providing valuable data during flights (or, you know, maybe playing an episode of Modern Family if you get bored of staring out at the infinite void of the universe.) They will manage G-forces by reclining at different levels during the various phrases of space flight.
In the event that the SpaceShipTwo is used for transporting science experiments or equipment, the seats can be removed entirely and replaced with payload racks.
According to the designers, a blue and teal color scheme is used throughout the cabin to provide a “harmonious” link to the color of the spacesuits, as well as linking back to the colors of Earth as seen from space.
Virgin Galactic and its mission to the stars
Founded in 2004 by Richard Branson, British spaceflight company Virgin Galactic aims to transport individuals to the edge of space in its SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. Last year, the company successfully carried out a test flight of three people — including one passenger. Earlier in 2020, the company also performed another test flight from its home base for sub-orbital flights, Spaceport America. It recently announced a partnership with NASA that will carry private astronauts and space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS).
Virgin Galactic aims to begin offering sub-orbital flights to paying customers over the next several years. These will reportedly cost in the vicinity of $250,000. Hey, at least you know you’ll have a comfortable seat for the journey, though!
