NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Ger ready for liftoff. Virgin Galactic said it hopes to start offering commercial flights into space by the second half of this year.
Virgin said it has already collected $80 million in deposits and sold 680 tickets, each costing $250,000. Full test flights are set to begin this spring.
Virgin Galactic’s space plane will take off from the company’s “spaceport” in New Mexico. It will climb 50,000 feet to the upper edges of the atmosphere where travelers will experience weightlessness.
The first commercial flight will be made by the firm’s founder, billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, and his family.
Virgin said it is still waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration to issue its its final commercial license. The FAA now has a special division to regulate commercial space travel.
— reporting by CNN’s Amanda Hobor
The-CNN-Wire
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