Virgin Galactic Holdings (NYSE:SPCE) announced Thursday afternoon that it has completed its first private astronaut flight, "Galactic 02."
The company said in its press release that its mission "achieved multiple historic milestones."
The flight took off at 8:30 am MDT, with an altitude of 44,300 feet at release. The flight landed at 9:30 am MDT.
The announcement has done little to encourage investors, with SPCE shares currently down more than 2% at $3.29 per share. The stock has declined by over 52% in the last 12 months.
"Today, Virgin Galactic took another historic leap forward by flying our first private astronaut mission and demonstrating how our spaceflights will broaden access to space," said Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic. "This is just the beginning, as we plan to continue flying monthly spaceflights while also developing our Delta Class production spaceships to scale our business."
The company stated it will now continue with post-flight inspections and prepare for its next commercial space mission, "Galactic 03," which is expected to take place in September.