Virgin Galactic sends its first tourist passengers into space

Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight included a mother-daughter duo from the Caribbean © Handout / Virgin Galactic/AFP/File

Washington (AFP) – Virgin Galactic launched its first tourist passengers into the weightlessness of space Thursday, the culmination of a nearly two-decade commercial pursuit, the company said.

The three passengers -- Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, and her teenage daughter Anastatia Mayers -- floated gravity-free through the Virgin spacecraft about 45 minutes after taking off.