Seemingly dormant for decades, space activity over the past several years has ramped up to unprecedented levels. The year 2022 saw a record 186 successful rocket launches, as private companies, led by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, continued to press into an industry that once was associated mostly with government entities and competing nations.
On Thursday, Virgin Galactic is scheduled to launch its first fully commercial flight, taking a multi-person crew into suborbital space.
