Virgin Galactic unveiled a flight suit designed by Under Armour that passengers will wear aboard SpaceShipTwo flights at an event in Yonkers yesterday.
In January 2019, Virgin Galactic Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson announced the company would collaborate with Under Armour to produce the flight suits passengers would wear during SpaceShipTwo flights. Following several months of development, the two companies unveiled the Virgin Galactic “spacewear system” at an event on Wednesday, October 16.
The event was billed as a “zero gravity” catwalk and was held at an iFly indoor skydiving venue in Yonkers, New York. During the presentation, acrobats wearing the flight suit performed an aerial dance routine inside the indoor skydiving chamber. The grand finale of the event was an appearance by Branson himself who wore the flight suit he will wear as the first passenger of the SpaceShipTwo spaceplane once testing is complete.
In addition to the flight suit, Virgin Galactic unveiled a base layer that will be worn underneath the suit, footwear and a training uniform.
According to an October 16 Virgin Galactic press release, the new “spacewear” system was designed to be comfortable and to offer “the ultimate focus on customer experience.” The idea is to not just offer flights into space but rather to “enrich the profound and transformative qualities of the human spaceflight experience.”
Although the flight suit and other elements have been created by Under Armour and feature the clothing company’s logo, it is currently unclear if any element will be available for purchase outside the Virgin Galactic flight experience.
