Mayo woman Norah Patten isn’t an astronaut, and Ireland has never had a citizen in space.  Yet.  All that is due to change next year when Patten and two colleagues from the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences go up in a Virgin Galactic spaceship. As a so-called “named astronaut” (the technical term), Patten is part of the new wave of space opportunities being driven by commercial operators.  This will be the second Virgin Galactic space flight. After the company’s first spacecraft, Unity, flew in November 2023, Virgin decided to retire the craft and undertake a redesign.  Delays in the design…

Want to continue reading?

Join today with an Annual membership and unlock full access to The Currency and The Wall Street Journal for just €200 – two premium memberships, one subscription.

Subscribe

Cancel at any time.

Are you already a member? .