Virgin Galactic recently completed its second space tourism flight of the year, taking passengers from Turkey, the US, and Italy to the edge of space. The mission, called Galactic 07, reached an altitude of approximately 55 miles (88.51 km) and lasted just over an hour. The successful flight marks another milestone for Virgin Galactic as it seeks to establish itself in the suborbital tourism market. However, the company is facing financial challenges and has paused commercial operations for the next two years in order to improve its financial situation. Meanwhile, retired Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, known for his iconic 'Earthrise' photo, tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 90. Anders was one of the first three humans to orbit the moon and captured the famous image of Earth rising over the lunar horizon during NASA's Apollo 8 mission in 1968. [3cd7837d] [bad4cdb4].
In another development, Joe Engle, the last surviving X-15 test pilot who touched space, has died at the age of 91. Engle flew the X-15 rocket plane, which set altitude and speed records in the 1960s. He made 16 flights in the X-15, reaching a top speed of Mach 5.71 and a maximum altitude of 280,600 feet. Engle later became an astronaut and flew two space shuttle missions. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Space Shuttle program. Engle passed away on July 31, 2021. [92b2c90c].