Virgin Galactic and Purdue University team up for 2027 suborbital mission

Virgin Galactic has revealed plans for a human spaceflight mission named "Purdue 1," set to launch in 2027 in collaboration with Purdue University, renowned for its legacy of producing astronauts.

Following the success of its first fully crewed flight in July 2021 and seven subsequent commercial flights, this mission will carry five passengers and two pilots to suborbital space and back.

Crew composition and Purdue’s astronaut legacy

The Purdue 1 mission will feature a crew of Purdue University researchers, students, and alumni, including aerospace engineering professor Steven Collicott, graduate student Abigail Mizzi, alumnus Jason Williamson, and two yet-to-be-named alumni.

Purdue boasts a distinguished history, with 28 alumni having flown to space or been selected for space missions, including Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, Roger Chaffee, and Gus Grissom.

Microgravity experiments

The mission will conduct scientific experiments in microgravity, led by Collicott and Mizzi. These experiments will focus on studying liquid behaviour, such as how liquids spread over surfaces and oscillate in zero gravity.

The research aims to provide valuable data for designing future spaceflight hardware and potentially automating payloads for cost-effective missions.

Funding and payload arrangements

Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane, designed to carry six passengers, will have one seat removed for Purdue 1 to accommodate research payloads. NASA will fund Collicott’s seat through a research proposal competition win, while donations to Purdue University will cover Mizzi’s participation.

The three alumni on board will self-fund their seats. The spaceplane will be released by a mothership at approximately 50,000 feet, fire its engine to reach suborbital space, and glide back to land.