Virgin Galactic space flights 'to help tackle climate change'



Virgin Galactic's space tourism flights will also give scientists a better understanding of climate change, founder Sir Richard Branson said today.

He announced that his spaceships, due to start launching tourists in 2011, will carry monitoring instruments to measure the atmosphere at high altitudes.



They will gather data on levels of greenhouse gases such as CO2 in relatively understudied regions of the Earth's atmosphere, such as the upper stratosphere, mesosphere and lower thermosphere.

The Virgin Galactic will be launched from mothership the 'White Knight' to take tourists into space. It will support the rocket called SpaceShipTwo, which will separate at 52,000ft taking passengers into suborbit

The company would collaborate with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which produces environmental data, including weather forecasts and climate information.

The NOAA makes most of its measurements at a maximum altitude of 5miles or around 25,000ft. But the first phase of Virgin Galactic will see Space Ship Two carry six passengers and two pilots up to 68miles for sub-orbital flights.



Sir Richard announced the initiative during a video message to thousands of space industry delegates at the 59th International Astronautical Congress being held in Glasgow this week.

He said: 'To my mind there is no greater or more immediate challenge than that posed by climate change.



'It's therefore more than fitting that the very first science to be conducted on board our new vehicles may be specifically directed at increasing our understanding and knowledge of the atmosphere and from there, to better inform our decisions as to the most effective ways of dealing with climate change.'

Sir Richard Branson believes his Virgin Galactic space flights can help tackle the 'immediate challenge' of climate change

Brent Smith, a director with NOAA, told the congress: 'We need data and observations to understand how our climate changes and this affords us a new and unique opportunity to gather samples and measurements at much higher altitudes than we could usually achieve.'

Virgin Galactic is aiming to become the world's first spaceline. The craft is due to be completed next year and the company estimates there will be 12-18 months of test flights before commercial trips begin. Tickets cost £110,000 and have been on sale since 2005.

Initial flights will be launched from a spaceport in the Mojave Desert in California but RAF Lossiemouth is being considered as a potential base for future trips.

