Pictured July 11, 2021, Virgin founder Richard Branson is onboard for landing after his space flight.
(Photo: AP)
Dusseldorf Wealthy tourists can buy their ticket to space from Wednesday. Commercial space provider Virgin Galactic announced the presale today, Tuesday. The company’s shares rose by more than 17 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.
This is an important step for Virgin Galactic. Last July, billionaire and Virgin founder Richard Branson himself flew into orbit. After that, however, Virgin Galactic postponed the start of commercial flights in order to improve its own space plane. The US authorities also briefly banned further Virgin space flights last year.
From Wednesday, anyone can book a ticket to space for $450,000, the equivalent of almost €400,000. A third of the price is due upon booking as a deposit. The flight lasts 90 minutes, including “several minutes of weightlessness out of the seat,” as the company advertises.
“We plan to launch our commercial offering later this year with the first 1000 paying customers. This gives us a very strong base to start regular operations and scale our fleet,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement.
With agency material
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Last July, the Virgin founder flew into orbit himself, attracting media attention.
(Photo: Reuters)
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