--- title: "Virgin Galactic to Start Training Astronauts for Trips to Space" description: "Virgin Galactic has signed a contract with NASA to start training astronauts for trips to the International Space Station. “We are excited to partner with NASA on this private orbital spaceflight program, which will not only allow us to use our spaceflight platform, but also offer our space training infrastructure to NASA and other agencies,” […]" date: "2020-06-22" modified: "2020-06-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/virgin-galactic-training-astronauts-trips-space" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "iss" - "NASA" - "spaceshiptwo" - "the digest" - "virgin galactic" --- # Virgin Galactic to Start Training Astronauts for Trips to Space ![Virgin Galactic has signed a contract with NASA to start training astronauts for trips to the International Space Station.]() *\Image: Virgin Galactic\* ## Space Camp Virgin Galactic has signed a contract with NASA to start training astronauts for trips to the International Space Station. "We are excited to partner with NASA on this private orbital spaceflight program, which will not only allow us to use our spaceflight platform, but also offer our space training infrastructure to NASA and other agencies," Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides said in [a statement](). *CNBC* reported [shares of the company rising]() 14 percent in early trading on Monday. The program includes picking out private astronauts, "procurement of transportation to the ISS," and coordinating resources to make that happen. "Building on our commercial spaceflight training experience, we can provide an unparalleled, personalized customer experience for orbital space travel," the statement reads. "This is not just for potentially private space travelers, but could also be for researchers or even government researchers," Whitesides [explained to *The Verge*](). ## Going Orbital It's unclear if Virgin Galactic is working on its own space vehicle capable of docking with the ISS. So far, Virgin Galactic has mostly been focused on flying private passengers on [suborbital flights]() on board its SpaceShipTwo space plane. The rocket-propelled plane is first carried into the air by a carrier aircraft before launching itself straight up into the sky. The company [successfully flew]() its latest space plane, the VSS Unity, to an altitude of 51.4 miles (82.7 km) during a test flight in December 2018. In September of last year, the company announced its plans to flying passengers to 100 kilometers, the edge of space, [for $250,000](). **READ MORE:** [Virgin Galactic will organize private passenger trips to the space station for NASA]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Virgin:** *[Virgin Galactic’s Plan: Send Tourists to Space Every 32 Hours]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()