Branson's Virgin Galactic to sell space flight tickets starting at $450,000

09:08, 14/08/2021

Spaceship company Virgin Galactic (SPCE.N) said it will open ticket sales on Thursday for space flights starting at $450,000 a seat, weeks after billionaire founder Richard Branson's high-profile trip to the edge of space.

 

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson wears his astronaut's wings at a news conference, after flying with a crew in Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity to the edge of space at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, U.S., July 11, 2021.
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson wears his astronaut's wings at a news conference, after flying with a crew in Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity to the edge of space at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, U.S., July 11, 2021. 

Spaceship company Virgin Galactic (SPCE.N) said it will open ticket sales on Thursday for space flights starting at $450,000 a seat, weeks after billionaire founder Richard Branson's high-profile trip to the edge of space.

Branson soared more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert aboard a Virgin Galactic rocket plane on July 11 and safely returned in the vehicle's first fully crewed test flight to space, a symbolic milestone for a venture he started 17 years ago.

Shares of the company rose 5% in extended trading on Thursday.

In June, Virgin Galactic received approval from the U.S. aviation safety regulator to fly people to space.

The company said it will have three consumer offerings - a single seat, a multi-seat package and a full-flight buy out.

Sales will initially open to the company's significant list of "early hand-raisers", it said.

(Source: Reuters)