Got $250,000 Lying Around? You Can Soon Fly to Space on this New Plane

The worlds first commercial spaceship lands in the Mojave desert after successfully completing its third supersonic test flight
The world's first commercial spaceship lands in the Mojave desert after successfully completing its third supersonic test flight | © Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Josephine Platt

Commissioning Editor

Space tourism is soon to be a reality with Virgin Galactic’s first commercial aircraft. This is what we know about it.

Commercial trips to space are about to become reality – for those who have the funds to facilitate it.

Along with companies including SpaceX and Boeing, Virgin Galactic has been hard at work designing an aircraft to take civilians on an out-of-this-world trip. And they seem to be getting somewhere with it.

Richard Branson, of Virgin Galactic, speaks to guest during the rollout of the new SpaceShip Two VSS Unity at the Mojave Air and Space Port

The company, which is in its last round of key rocket test flights, is said to have two more internal flights to check systems and logistics before opening up to the public.

These suborbital flights, which will take place on its VSS Unity vehicle, hold a capacity of six and are set to ascend 60mi (97km) above Earth. At this peak altitude, passengers will have the opportunity to float in zero-gravity conditions. They will also be able to enjoy panoramic views of Earth from 12 circular windows.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity comes in for a landing after its suborbital test flight

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis with a cool price-tag of $250,000 (£190,000). Virgin Galactic says 600 customers have signed up, while a further 400 have expressed interest.

Meanwhile, no date has yet been floated for its first flight, but Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is expected to be on it.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

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We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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