where the mother ship took off exactly an hour ago. so rachel, 60 minutes up to the edge of space and back. not too shabby. reporter: hey, brian, i got to tell you right here at spaceport america, i can confirm that the uss unity has safely landed on the runway here. we re getting live images from richard branson. he is clapping. you can hear the crowd behind me cheering. vss unity, once again, brian, has safely landed here on that 12,000-foot runway at spaceport america. richard branson has fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut. richard branson has long said he was inspired by the apollo missions and he has wanted to be an astronaut for his entire life. today is the day that he, along with his team, have achieved that dream. they are hoping this is a major stem forward in a democratizing space, opening up that final frontier to the rest of us.
u.s.s. unity. the spaceship will go up not in the way you re used to seeing them go up, but in the mother eve. the whole thing will last just one hour and five minutes, according to virgin galactic. we ll bring did to you live when it happens, and i will be joined by the one and only neil ryson, about whether they ll go into space. we have cnn reporters on the ground in new mexico where the launch is happening, rachel crane and kristen fisher. rachel, what are you hearing about what is going to
touches counsel on the red planet. the rover left its landing platform and now roving the planet. it it s searching for signs of ancient life on mars. the mission is expected to last three months. now back here on earth virgin galactic first test flight of the year. uss unity will fly for the first time after engine cut off due to a computer imlismt virgin is hoping to start doing passenger space flights by early next year. will, over to you. will: thank you, emily. a group of parents have filed a federal civil right complaint against a school district in massachusetts for banning white students from a virtual event on hate crimes. the invitation from wellesley public schools reads as follows this is a safe space for our asian and asian-american and students of color emphasize not for students who identify only as white. nicole mele is spear heading the complaint. she is president of the nonprofit parents defending education. thank you so much for being with