Boeing Co. agreed to invest $20 million for a minority stake in Virgin Galactic, a startup that is preparing to fly its customers into space next year. The relationship is designed as a collaboration aimed at shaping the future of human space travel, the companies said in a statement Oct. 8. Virgin Galactic also is setting longer-term sights on shuttling airline travelers around the world at high speeds—a mode of transport that will take years to achieve.
The deal positions the companies to explore the marketplace for airline travel at hypersonic speeds above the Earth’s atmosphere, trimming trips across the globe to two hours or less. Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. also has announced plans for such flights in the future.
