Virgin Galactic and Boeing: Ad Astra Highlights

Virgin Galactic flew tourists to the edge of space on the Galactic 07 mission, marking its second flight this year. Meanwhile, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station, though it faces many challenges before achieving routine missions.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Virgin Galactic spaceplane takes tourists on flight

Virgin Galactic flew four tourists to the edge of space and back aboard its spaceplane, marking the second flight this year, the Richard Branson-founded company said on Saturday. The Galactic 07 mission carried Turkish, U.S. and Italian passengers to an altitude of about 55 miles (88.51 km) on a flight lasting slightly more than an hour.

Starliner flight is one big step for Boeing's space capsule, but many hurdles remain

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft scored a crucial achievement last week with the delivery of two astronauts to the International Space Station, but problems encountered along its journey in space and more hurdles that lie ahead make the aerospace giant's goal toward routine missions a distant prospect. The CST-100 Starliner capsule's first crewed docking with two astronauts to the International Space Station on Thursday marked a long-sought safety demonstration for two audiences: NASA, which wants a second U.S. spacecraft for rides to orbit, and the nascent market for private astronaut missions that is currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX and its Crew Dragon capsule.

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