The founder of Virgin Galactic could potentially be blazing a path for commercial flights to space
Richard Branson could shoot into space on his Virgin Galactic aircraft as its first passenger early next year, the company said, potentially blazing a path for commercial flights. The company has repeatedly pushed back the date it will take the first tourists outside the earth's atmosphere and said 600 people have forked out US$250,000 to reserve a seat.
Virgin Galactic said Monday it "expects to advance to the next phase of its test flight program" in the fall with two manned flights.
"Assuming both flights demonstrate the expected results, Virgin Galactic anticipates Sir Richard Branson's flight to occur in the first quarter of 2021," the company said in a statement.