Progress at Virgin Galactic?
In case you’ve been living in a rock for the last four years Richard Branson has been changing the world of space travel with his company Virgin Galactic.
Based in Las Cruces New Mexico, Virgin Galactic has given average people the opportunity to take a sub-orbital flight over the earth and get a taste of what space travel is all about.
Costs
Tickets for a Virgin Galactic flight are not cheap by any means; one ticket costs $200,000 and requires a $20,000 deposit. For this price the ticket holder will be treated to a flight that will last almost four hours and give passengers the opportunity to experience six minutes of weightlessness.
Sub-orbital flights are nothing new to astronauts and pilots who have been pushing the boundaries of earth’s gravity for decades. For those people who can afford the high ticket price they will finally be able to stop dreaming about what it would be like to be an astronaut and actually live out their fantasy for a few hours.
Advancements in Technology
Thanks to the innovative leadership of Richard Branson commercial space travel is quickly becoming a reality. What once seemed like a dream that was left in the hands of governments like the United States, Russia and China is now quickly gaining momentum and Virgin Galactic now has five commercial space ships ready to take to the skies.
Besides leading the advancement in commercial space travel, Virgin Galactic is also collaborating with U.S. space agency NASA and signed a memorandum of understanding which laid the framework for future projects in the years to come.
What’s next for Virgin Galactic?
Richard Branson has never been known as a man to stay in one place. Once Virgin Galactic commences regular commercial space flights many people speculate that his next stop will be the moon. Branson has been repeatedly quoted over the years as saying that he hopes to build hotels on the moon and many people who grew up watching TV shows like Star Trek will most likely be eager to book reservations.