We’re a step closer to corporate travel in space with Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo completing its maiden flight in the Californian desert with its mothership, White Knight Two (WK2).
It’s the first time the two spacecraft have been tested together. Virgin Galactic’s plan for space travel involves WK2 carrying Spaceship2 to about 50,000 feet, then releasing the smaller six-person vessel so it can rocket launch itself into space – giving new meaning to long distance business travel!
Test flights with paying customers will begin over the next year or so at a cost of $US220,000 per person (making first class corporate travel on a Boeing 747 look much more affordable!) There’s a pretty decent queue already with $49.15 million in deposits already paid by 330 pre-booking travellers.