A Virgin Galactic rocket plane on Friday soared to the edge of space with a test passenger for the first time, nudging British billionaire Richard Branson¡¯s company closer to its goal of suborbital flights for space tourists.

Virgin Galactic¡¯s chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses, who will train future space tourists, joined pilots onboard SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity to evaluate the customer experience and cabin.

¡°There¡¯s a saying in aviation that the pilots have the best seat in the house, with the view up there. But today, I¡¯m not sure,¡± pilot David Mackay said after the flight, referring to what Moses could see and do.