Richard Branson's space tourism enterprise, Virgin Galactic, is one step closer to liftoff as of Monday April 29, with a new test flight launching from New Mexico.
The test flight involves the Virgin Galactic flight SpaceShipTwo, which Branson expects will carry space tourists beyond Earth in 2014. Branson called the test flight an "historic" occasion, and says that SpaceShipTwo will break the sound barrier during the flight.
"This is going to be Virgin Galactic's year," he told the Las Vegas Sun. "We'll break the sound barrier on Monday, and from there, we build up through the rest of the year, finally going into space near the end of the year. I'll be on the first official flight, which we look to have in the first quarter of next year. We're doing a number of test flights into space first."
When it makes its official launch, SpaceShipTwo will be carried into the air along with its two pilots and six passengers through WhiteKnightTwo, a twin-fuselage carrier aircraft. The Virgin Galactic ship will reach an altitude of 50,000 feet and then be released.
A flight aboard SpaceShipTwo, however, will likely be out of reach for many, with deposits starting around $18,600. According to Virgin Galactic, over 500 tickets have been sold, at about $187,997 per person. Some celebrities are reported to have expressed interest, including Ashton Kutcher. Passengers will get a two-hour flight that includes six minutes of weightlessness.
This latest flight from the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo follows a previous test run that took place on Friday April 12 above the Mojave desert. Oxidizer emitted through the ship's engine indicated that the plane would be completing its first powered flight in the near future.
