On Friday, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic introduced its new spaceship that has been designed to take space enthusiasts on a thrilling journey to space and return them to the surface. With the fresh launch, the company has reached one step closer to become the first private space tourism company to take passengers aloft. After nearly 16 months, Virgin Galactic is back in the race.

The Las Cruces based spaceflight company of Virgin Group also announced that the new VSS Unity will undergo some ground tests before taking a tour to the space. The company hasn’t unveiled when passengers will be taken for the first space voyage.

Virgin Galactic’s new blue, silver and white Unity is a replacement of its human-carrying spacecraft that was destroyed more than a year ago during a test mission. The accident killed one of the two pilots aboard the spaceship. Now, creators of the new craft hope that the Unity will pass all the ground tests before begin carrying passengers aloft.

It is awesome to take humans to the space, said Sir Branson at the unveiling event at the Mojave Air and Spaceport. Renowned English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking will be among the first batch of people who are scheduled to fly in Virgin Galactic’s new spaceship.

About the journey, Hawking said, “I never thought I would have the opportunity to see our beautiful planet from space. But I had reckoned without the dream of another, a man with the vision and persistence to opening up spaceflight for ordinary Earthbound citizens”.

Hawking, who suffers from a rare early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and remains on a wheelchair, also said that his health may not allow him from visiting the space above earth, but the company thinks his contributions to spaceflight will always be remembered always. Unity’s logos feature large images of Hawking’s eye.