Virgin Galactic has completed the first of three key test flights that could lead to it entering commercial service.

Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson - the owner of Virgin Galactic - already has 600 customers committed to the venture, including various celebrities, but they won't be able to board the flight until all of the tests have been completely satisfactorily.

After watching the flight test, Branson wrote on Twitter: "Delighted to be on the flightline to watch @VirginGalactic ’s first human spaceflight from the majestic Spaceport America @Spaceport_NM #UNITY21 (sic)"

It's hoped that the company will have secured its license by the end of 2021, with the US Federal Aviation Administration set to receive operational and performance data from the latest round of testing in New Mexico.

Following the tests, Branson admitted to being delighted with what he'd seen.

The billionaire businessman - who founded the Virgin Group in the 1970s - said to BBC News: "It was a beautifully elegant experience.

"We had the backdrop of New Mexico, the mountains with the Sun coming up; we could see the spaceship clearly from the ground just going straight up. And, yeah, burning, burning, burning, until it finally disappeared into space."

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