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Organisational Culture

Reflections on Virgin Galactic’s successful Unity 22 launch

On Sunday, July 11, 2021, Virgin Galactic successfully launched Unity 22—its first multi-passenger flight into space—marking a new era of space exploration and inspiring us all.

A year ago, the world was still partially locked down due to COVID-19 and a return to normalcy seemed impossible. The future was shrouded in uncertainty and trepidation. Unity 22’s launch embodies the world’s determination to emerge from this pandemic stronger, smarter, and more resilient.

As part of the Virgin family, we at Virgin Pulse can’t help but reflect on the parallels that exist between this innovative and inspirational event and the role we play in the evolving world of health and wellbeing. Virgin Galactic has a dream to make space travel a feasible reality for everyone. The success of Unity 22’s journey, with a crew of mission specialists and Sir Richard Branson on board, brings the achievement of that mission one step closer for everyone here on Earth.

“We’re here to make space more accessible to all at all. The mission statement that I wrote inside my spacesuit was to turn the dream of space travel into a reality for my grandchildren … and for many people who are alive today, for everybody.” – Sir Richard Branson

Similarly, our goal at Virgin Pulse is to make health and wellbeing accessible to everyone, everywhere. The pandemic exposed and exacerbated the glaring disparities in health and healthcare, but we believe that good health and wellbeing is a right, not a privilege.

Organisations have a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change in their communities and combat the social determinants of health that drive health inequity. Virgin Pulse’s access-from-anywhere, highly personal, workplace wellbeing programme makes it easier for employers to empower their people to take charge of their health and wellbeing, no matter who or where they are.

Virgin Pulse is designed to not only address physical health, but also transform the mental, emotional, financial and social health of organisations and their people. In the ever-evolving world of health and wellbeing, we provide our participants — regardless of health status, location, or personal identity—with an easy-to-use tool that learns and adapts to their personal needs while creating meaningful social connections and driving down care costs.

Just as Virgin Galactic is exploring an unchartered world and innovating the way we think about space travel, Virgin Pulse is continuously exploring new possibilities and innovating the design and function of our platform to make optimal wellbeing a reality for all.

Today, over 14 million users in more than 190 countries rely on Virgin Pulse’s digital and live solutions to change their lives—and businesses—for good. Connect with a wellbeing expert to learn how you can create a unified, simplified health and wellbeing ecosystem that supports both your people and your business.