Virgin Galactic Restarting Space Tickets from $450,000 After Flying Founder Richard Branson

<div></div> <p>After flying its founder Richard Branson to space, Virgin Galactic is restarting ticket sales beginning at $450,000 (roughly Rs. 3 crores), the company announced Thursday.</p> <p>The new price is about double the $200,000 (roughly Rs. 1.4 crores) to $250,000 (roughly Rs. 1.8 crores) paid by around 600 people who previously booked seats on <a href="https://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/virigin-galactic" target="_self" rel="noopener">Virgin’s</a> spaceship between 2005 and 2014, as the company looks to cash in on the success of last month’s fully-crewed test flight.</p> <p>“We are excited to announce the reopening of sales effective today,” said CEO Michael Colglazier in a statement, with first dibs going to people on a waiting list.</p> <p>“As we endeavour to bring the wonder of space to a broad global population, we are delighted to open the door to an entirely new industry and consumer experience.”</p> <p>On July 11, <a href="https://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/richard-branson" target="_self" rel="noopener">Branson</a> beat <a href="https://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/blue-origin" target="_self" rel="noopener">Blue Origin</a> owner <a href="https://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/jeff-bezos" target="_self" rel="noopener">Jeff Bezos</a> to space in a battle between the billionaires. Bezos achieved the feat nine days later.</p> <p>The next test flight will come in September and involve members of the Italian Air Force.</p> <p>There will be one further test after the September mission, then the first commercial flights will take place in the third quarter of 2022, Colglazier said in an earnings call.</p> <p>The offerings for customers will include a single seat; multi-seats for couples, friends or family; and a full-flight buyout.</p> <p>Two free seats on an early flight are up for grabs in a prize draw, with registrations open until September 1.</p> <p>The spaceplane was originally designed to carry six crew, but last month’s flight, which was described as “fully-crewed,” had just four – suggesting this is the current number.</p> <p>Virgin’s space experience involves an air-launched spaceplane, VSS Unity, that takes off attached to the belly of a massive carrier plane from a runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico.</p> <p>After gaining altitude, the spaceplane detaches from its mothership and ignites its rocket engine, ascending to beyond 50 miles (80 kilometers) above sea level.</p> <p>Passengers unbuckle and experience a few minutes of weightlessness before the plane glides back to the runway to land.</p> <p>The company has come under fire for its carbon footprint, which is roughly equivalent to a transatlantic flight but for far fewer people. It has said it is examining the possibility of offsetting its emissions.</p> <p>“Our long term objective is to offer a near-daily cadence of space flights, and not just from New Mexico, but from multiple locations around the world,” CFO Doug Ahrens said during the call.</p> <hr> <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://patabook.com/technology/2021/08/07/virgin-galactic-restarting-space-tickets-from-450000-after-flying-founder-richard-branson/">Virgin Galactic Restarting Space Tickets from $450,000 After Flying Founder Richard Branson</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://patabook.com/technology">Patabook Technology</a>.</p>

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