Virgin Galactic is looking for 2 pilots to fly its spaceflight missions. Here's what it takes to be the next closest thing to an astronaut.

Virgin Galactic recently announced a partnership with NASA to develop supersonic-capable vehicles to provide high-speed transportation. Ever since the famed Concorde disappeared from the skies, the desire to re-imagine supersonic transport aircraft has spurred development from multiple companies.

The duo will now work together to develop new technology aimed for civil use that could dramatically bring down travel times in commercial transportation.

The Virgin Group and its subsidiaries have always been known to operate with a unique culture and in order to maintain that, Virgin Galactic outlines a few personal requirements that its pilots need to meet. They include the following:

• Be motivated, enterprising and enthusiastic
• Check your ego at the door
• Be a self-starter and possess a sense of humility
• Work well under pressure
• Thrive under challenging circumstances
• Communicate clearly
• Be confident and persuasive
• Maintain the highest level of integrity and confidentiality

Flying a spaceship isn't a one-man job, it requires hundreds of behind-the-scenes workers ensuring that everything goes smoothly. Crew resource management is also essential to every flight, not just those heading to space.

Virgin Galactic pilots will be involved in creating new procedures and best practices for the aircraft during the test phase. Unlike a traditional pilot job, the pilots won't simply be told how to fly the plane but will need to learn how to fly it in the unique circumstances the spacecraft will be flying in.

Spaceflight is a new venture and most, if not all Virgin Galactic customers will be first-time astronauts. As the ultimate authority on the aircraft, pilots will be tasked with customer relations and that includes answering questions, addressing concerns, exuding confidence, and easing fears.

Virgin Galactic requires its pilots to be a part of various additional aspects of the business, not just flying the aircraft. Having prior experience being a part of a project or business helps achieve that goal.

The 3,000-hour mark is a typical requirement for pilots applying to most major airlines. Depending on the pilot, it can sometimes take years to fly that many hours, which is why it's a good indicator of experience.

The requirement ensures that candidates for the position are comfortable and competent to perform test flight operations. Each test flight has its own risks as these are new, experimental aircraft and spaceflight is new territory for most pilots.

Virgin Galactic pilots are constantly performing test flights with their unique aircraft that the candidates would be involved in flying. A recent flight test saw WhiteKnightTwo, named VMS Eve, drop SpaceShipTwo, named VSS Unity, from 50,000 feet above New Mexico to simulate a re-entry procedure.

The spacecraft glided from the altitude all the way down to Spaceport America, reaching speeds of Mach .70.

Virgin Galactic doesn't specify what kind of degrees will suffice but fields related to aviation typically include engineering disciplines. Some commercial airlines also require either an associate or bachelor's degree for their pilots.

Any pilot for higher must possess a Commercial Pilot's License that requires a minimum of 250 hours of flying. Class 1 medicals are also standard for any pilot flying for an airline and involve going through the most thorough examination performed by aviation medical examiners.

The requirement to be a US citizen or other US person as defined by 22 CFR §120.15 is due to space technology regulations implemented by the US government. Lawful permanent residents as other protected US persons under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) can also apply for the position.