---
title: Alum at Frontier of Commercial Space Tourism
date: 2023-05-24T09:20:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/alum-at-frontier-of-commercial-space-tourism"
section: Articles
---
# Alum at Frontier of Commercial Space Tourism

*May 24, 2023* — by [Robert Herschbach](/author/robert-herschbach)


> Aerospace Engineer Joins Virgin Galactic’s Final Test Before Service Begins

*Chase edit2 V2 1920x1080 — Chris Huie ‘11 will be one of four crew members (along with two pilots) aboard Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft VSS Unity on Thursday, assessing the customer experience before commercial service gets under way.*

For a certain kind of adventurer seeking an out-of-this-world experience, the wait may soon be over.

On Thursday, Virgin Galactic will launch a final test flight before the company’s planned launch of the era of commercial space tourism. And on board the VSS Unity will be University of Maryland alum Chris Huie ‘11, one of four crew members of the “spaceline” who will conduct this last assessment of the customer—or “astronaut”—experience, with all of its thrills, luxury and wonderment.

A mothership called Eve will carry the spacecraft from New Mexico’s Spaceport America up to 50,000 feet, where it will detach and rocket to a suborbital altitude of 50 miles and streak along the boundary of space at speeds of up to 2,600 mph—3.5 times the speed of sound. The passengers along with two pilots will see planet Earth from a perspective previously afforded to few others. More than 800 people have purchased tickets for the 90-minute ride, paying from $200,000 to $450,000, a company spokesman told CNN.


*Chris Huie*




**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Aerospace Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/aerospace-engineering), [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering)