Revealing what’s inside Virgin Galactic’s spaceship
Very proud of all the Virgin Galactic team as they revealed what is inside Virgin Galactic’s spaceship for the first time. The cabin has been designed specifically to allow thousands of people like you and me to achieve the dream of spaceflight safely, and to maximise every aspect of that fabulous journey. That is incredibly exciting, but I think also gives us a much-needed reminder that despite all our currents concerns and anxieties, we can be reassured and optimistic for the future.
When we started Virgin 50 years ago, while becoming an astronaut was certainly on my bucket list, we had no idea that Virgin could not only be a record label, but also a spaceline. From a scribbled logo on a napkin to a global brand. Looking back, we have always been on a journey with a clear purpose - to transform customer experience and make business a force for good. While that journey has never been plain sailing, it has always attracted brilliant fellow travellers who have brought many dreams to reality. It has also, by definition, meant that we have always placed a great emphasis on design to create distinctive and delightful experiences – whatever the business.
Design determines how you make people feel and how they interact with what you make. I am pleased to say it is at that heart of everything Virgin Galactic is today. Starting with our stunning spaceships and mothership, and flowing through to our spaceport, our spacesuits and every personalised step of the customer journey.
And now the spaceship cabin. The cabin is special, because, while it’s been created to integrate seamlessly with every other aspect of the Virgin Galactic astronaut journey - it is also the design centrepiece. Providing safety without distraction, quietly absorbing periods of sensory overload and offering each astronaut a level of intimacy required for personal discovery and transformation.
It was wonderful to see the interior revealed at Spaceport America, and to experience it with so many others watching the livestream on YouTube. I’ve also been playing around with our new app, which gives aspiring astronauts and space enthusiasts the chance to explore the Virgin Galactic cabin design and spaceflight experience in augmented reality.
Looking out of the window at the view of Earth from space was a surreal and thrilling moment. The simplicity of the interior design is stunning and I absolutely love the seats. I can’t wait to climb into the real thing and buckle up!
Somebody once said to me that Virgin Galactic’s spaceship was the first one to have been built from the inside out. And although there is a degree of poetic licence in that statement it contains a fundamental truth: we started with what we believed would be an optimal customer experience and then built the spaceship around it. We will continue with that ethos as we expand our fleet, build our operations and cement Virgin Galactic’s position as the Spaceline for Earth.