London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 16, 2025

Virgin Galactic giving away two free seats on 2022 spaceflight

Virgin Galactic giving away two free seats on 2022 spaceflight

Submissions for the sweepstakes will close on Sept. 1, with winners expected to be announced around Sept. 29.

Following Sunday's successful Unity 22 mission, Virgin Galactic is giving away two free seats on the aerospace company's first commercial suborbital spaceflight slated for 2022.

The giveaway, in partnership with charity fundraiser Omaze, will allow the winners to experience microgravity at the edge of space aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity.


"Until now, most people could only dream of venturing beyond Earth. Now, we are incredibly excited to team up with Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic, and Space for Humanity to give two everyday citizens a chance of going to space, Omaze co-founder and CEO Matt Pohlson said in a statement. "Omaze was founded on democratizing access to out-of-reach experiences. It's an honor to advance this ideal to space travel while partnering with an organization dedicated to democratizing space for the better of all humankind."

Interested individuals can make a charitable donation on Omaze between now and August 31. The proceeds will be given to Space for Humanity, a non-profit which aims to "expand access to space, train our leaders of tomorrow and contribute to a culture of interconnectedness."

"We are so incredibly grateful to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic for giving us the opportunity to be the charity of choice in this revolutionary initiative," Space for Humanity Executive Director Rachel Lyons said. "This is a historic moment for life on this planet. We now have the opportunity to share this perspective for the common good. It is my hope that by democratizing access to space, we will collectively renew our relationship with our planet, and each other, allowing for a prosperous future on and off the planet."

Submissions for the sweepstakes will close on Sept. 1, with winners expected to be announced around Sept. 29.

In addition to the seats, winners will be given an all-expenses-paid trip to New Mexico and a tour of Spaceport America by Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson.

"I was honoured to test the incredible customer experience onboard Virgin Galatic's spaceship VSS Unity as part of this remarkable crew of mission specialists - and now astronauts," Branson said in a statement. "How you feel when you look down on Earth is impossible to put into words, it’s just indescribable beauty. I can’t wait for you all to get up there."


Following the historic flight, Branson said he can "see even more clearly how Virgin Galactic is the spaceline for Earth."

"We are here to make space more accessible to all and turn the next generation of dreamers into the astronauts of today and tomorrow," he added. "Imagine a world where people of all ages and backgrounds, from anywhere, of any gender, of any ethnicity have equal access to space. They will in turn, inspire us all back here on Earth. If you’ve ever had a dream, now is the time to make it come true. Welcome to the dawn of a new space age."

Virgin Galactic's successful trip comes nine days ahead of competitor Blue Origin's first crewed spaceflight, which is scheduled to lift off on July 20. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos will climb aboard the company's New Shepard rocket along with his brother Mark, 82-year-old female aerospace pioneer Mary Wallace Funk, and a mystery auction winner who paid $28 million. New Shepard will fly above the Kármán Line, an imaginary boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
×