A mother-daughter pair of astronauts will travel into space as part of the crew of Virgin Galactic’s second ever commercial spaceflight, Galactic 02, which will also feature a women-dominated team.
Keisha Schahaff, 46, and Anastatia Mayers, 18, are among six astronauts launching into suborbital space on August 10, marking the company’s first ever private astronaut mission, and the first time in history that a mother-daughter pair have ever traveled into space together.
The move comes after Wally Funk became the older person to fly into space at the age of 82, in 2021. She made the mission 60 years after she first passed her astronaut tests — at a time when a congressional hearing decided that women could not qualify to become astronauts.
Schahaff and Mayers, both Antigua and Barbuda nationals, will also become the first Caribbean astronauts to fly to space — an achievement Schahaff said proves “space really is becoming more accessible.”
“When I was two years old, just looking up to the skies, I thought, ‘How can I get there?’ But, being from the Caribbean, I didn’t see how something like this would be possible,” Schahaff said in a promotional video.
“I know I will be changed by my experience and I hope I will be able to share that energy and inspire the people around me in my role as a life coach a mother and as an ambassador for our beautiful planet.”
Schahaff’s daughter, Anastatia, is currently studying philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and will become the second youngest person to travel to space.
The youngest person was Oliver Daemen, who at 18, flew on Blue Origin‘s New Shepard suborbital spacecraft in 2021.
Anastatia and her mother secured their seats on Galactic 02 two years ago in a sweepstakes created by Virgin Galactic and charity fundraising platform Omaze. The total funds raised were donated to Space for Humanity — the Colorado-based nonprofit that works to expand access to space for purpose-driven leaders from diverse backgrounds.
Rachel Lyons, Executive Director of Space for Humanity, said that seeing the planet from the vantage point of space “…bestows upon astronauts The Overview Effect that transcends boundaries and unites humanity.”
“It is this transformative perspective that holds one of the keys to tackling our world’s most pressing challenges,” she said.
Lyons remarked that her NGO has a single mission: “To grant as many individuals as possible access to this life altering viewpoint, not only for the betterment of our civilisation’s future, but also to confront the urgent need for our world today.”
“This profound awareness underscores our collective responsibility to treat one another with greater kindness and to safeguard and cherish our home planet,” she said in a statement.
Eighty-year old former British Olympian Jon Goodwin, will also be joining the six-person crew — making him the first Olympian to travel to space.
The crew of Galactic 02 will be led by chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses. Moses will carry out all training and preparation for the mission, as well as assess the in-flight experience to refine Virgin Galactic’s training program.
Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said the mission highlights the company’s aspirations to increase access to space and inspire people around the world.
“Each of these astronauts are role models and beacons of inspiration in their communities,” he said in a statement. “Watching [the astronauts] embark on this transformative experience helps demonstrate that space is now opening to a broader and more diverse population across the globe.”
Galactic 02’s flight will be live-streamed on VirginGalactic.com.