Christopher Huie, an astronaut with Jamaican roots successfully completed a Unity 25 mission to space alongside mission specialists Jamila Gilbert and Luke Mays for Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc.
The team became the newest Virgin Galactic astronauts to evaluate the end-to-end astronaut training and spaceflight experience.
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CEO Michael Colglazier said, “The ‘Unity 25’ mission was a fantastic achievement for everyone at Virgin Galactic. Witnessing our inspiring crew’s pure joy upon landing, I have complete confidence in the unique astronaut experience we have built for our customers. Our teams now begin post-flight analysis as well as preparation for ‘Galactic 01’, our commercial research mission, planned for late June.”
Huie said, “Looking down at our beautiful planet from space, something that so few humans have experienced, was such a humbling, awe-inspiring, and reverent experience. As one of the first 20 Black people who have gone to space, I hope that I can inspire the next generation of astronauts who look like me to set their goals high and break down the mental and institutional barriers that have held people of color back. This is just the beginning, and I look forward to continuing to push boundaries with Virgin Galactic and shine a spotlight on the doors that commercial space travel can open for innovation.”
Virgin Galactic shared this post on social media:
“Stellar views on the horizon! We are thrilled to announce that we have acquired land in New Mexico that will be home to our Astronaut campus and training facility.”
Huie is a 35-year-old trained senior engineer and resident of Los Angeles, California. He is a Senior Manager, Loads and describes himself as a ‘master of solving ambiguous Aerospace and Loads related problems. Leveraging first principles and mental models to guide technical decisions while mentoring junior engineers. Emotionally intelligent, organized, and future-driven leader’.
He has worked in aerodynamics since 2008.
For the mission, Huie wore both Jamaican and US patches on his uniform during the planned test run of a mothership and spaceship in New Mexico, ahead of intended 90-minute commercial trips to take place beginning next month.
Next Steps for the Mission Team
Post-flight inspections and analysis in preparation for commercial spaceline operations, beginning with ‘Galactic 01’, a dedicated research mission planned for late June.
