TRANSCRIPT:
Cheers and applause for the world's newest space tourists after a safe landing in the New Mexico desert in the Unites States.
After years of delays, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has taken private passengers to the fringes of space for the first time.
Customer Jon Goodwin waited 18 years to experience a few minutes of weightlessness.
" The most impressive thing was looking at Earth from space. Just the pure clarity was very moving. It was without a doubt the most exciting day of my life."
The former British Olympian was among the first to buy a Virgin Galactic ticket in 2005.
The now 80-year-old has Parkinson's Disease.
Virgin Galactic says it was decided Mr Goodwin would fly first given his age and his neurodegenerative disorder.
"I'm hoping that I instil in other people around the world, as well as people with Parkinson's, that it doesn't stop you doing things that are outside of normal if you've got something that's some illness that's afflicting you."
He was joined on the flight by 18-year-old Anastatia Mayers.
The university student says the experience was nerve-wracking, but remarkable.
"You are so much more connected to everything than you would expect to be. You felt like a part of the team, a part of the ship, a part of the universe, a part of Earth. It was incredible and I'm still starstruck."
The teenager's mother, Keisha Schahaff, was also on board.
The 46-year-old health coach from Antigua won tickets in a charity raffle.
The experience was beyond what she imagined.
"I'm still up there. I'm not here yet. I'm still up there. And it's just amazing that you can land so smoothly on the runway coming back from space."
Virgin Galactic joins Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX in the space tourism business.
The company plans to offer monthly private rides, with individual tickets costing AU$690,000.
