Virgin Galactic is Richard Branson‘s commercial spaceflight company, first announced as an idea in 2009.
It promises to bring space to the entire human race, as tourists can pay for an experience like no other.
The first flight with tourists is due to take place later this year, and demand is apparently high for the future missions.
So how much is it costing those interested? Find out the answer, and everything else you need to know about Virgin Galactic, below.
Virgin Galactic is Richard Branson’s commercial spaceflight company, which has been in the works since 2009
The project will take paying customers to an 80km, suborbital altitude on a 90-minute flight
Tourists can expect to pay almost half-a-million dollars for a ticket, but apparently there is high demand
What is Virgin Galactic?
Virgin Galactic is Richard Branson’s commercial spaceflight company, which has been in the works since 2009.
The first flight, Galactic 01, launches at 4pm UK time on June 29, but without paying customers onboard.
It will instead carry three crewmembers of the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy with one astronaut instructor from Virgin Galactic.
If successful, Galactic 01 could pave the way to tourists going to space on other Galactic flights later this year.
How much are Virgin Galactic tickets?
When they eventually can, a ticket for tourists to have the space experience will cost $450,000.
The organisers have said that this is a price people are willing to pay, and ‘demand is high’, according to the Virgin Galactic website, with several hundred customers already lined up.
Galactic 01 is a research mission carrying crew from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy along with a Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor
How much does it cost to build the Virgin Galactic spacecraft?
According to research by New Space Economy, each flight will run up operational costs of $586,000, which includes the cost of running the motors, and customers’ insurance.
To build the aircraft – of which there are currently three – it is expected that each costs roughly $35 million.
This means meaning one aircraft would need just 17 flights to become profitable, while they are built to last a decade, and the company hopes to end up flying each 50 times every year.
When is the first Galactic flight for tourists?
After Galactic 01’s scientific mission at the end of June, the first flight with tourists is scheduled for August.
Galactic 02 has not had a specific date marked yet, but is due to take place early in the month.
From then on, flights are expected to run once a month according to the company’s website, although they hope to expand their flight schedule within the first year.
What happens on board?
The passenger jet will be launched from a from a carrier plane at 15km, before ascending on its own to 80km in altitude
The cabin design is fairly minimalistic – with seats, windows and a large rear mirror making up most of the layout
Galactic flights should last 90 minutes, beginning with a launch from 9.4 miles (15km) above Earth off a carrier plane.
That is already higher than typical commercial planes will fly at, which is only up to eight miles in altitude.
The aircraft and crew will then ascend to 50 miles (80km) over our planet, a suborbital altitude, meaning that they will reach the edge of space without actually going into orbit.
Once the spaceplane reaches the edge of space, it will hover in place for five minutes to let passengers experience zero gravity, and the fantastic views of both space and Earth from the array of windows in the roof and sides of the aircraft.
