Goodwin was one of Virgin Galactic’s first customers, purchasing his ticket for the flight in 2005. Goodwin, now 80 and living with Parkinson’s disease, said he hopes he can be an inspiration to others, according to AP. He was the first Olympian in space.

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic and billionaire business magnate, celebrated the launch with his own post on X.

Branson and three other employees were the first to ride on one of Virgin Galactic’s flights into orbit in 2021. Unlike traditional space shuttles, the Virgin Galactic flights do not venture far out into space, and instead barely break past the earth’s atmosphere.

According to NASA, "outer space" begins at about 50 miles above Earth, and Thursday’s Virgin Galactic flight planned to reach a maximum altitude of 55 miles. 

SPCE Price Action: Virgin Galactic’s stock traded higher Thursday morning before reversing and dipping slightly in the red.

The stock has not participated in 2023’s overall market rally, currently trading down about 3% YTD versus the S&P 500’s gain of more than 17% in the same time period. 

Photo: Courtesy Virgin Galactic