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Kristin DeasyJuly 11, 2012 09:45
Virgin Atlantic: SpaceShipTwo, first commercial spacecraft, set for launch with boss Branson and kids on board
Virgin Atlantic to world: boarding soon, final destination -- space.
Virgin Atlantic to world: boarding soon, final destination -- space.
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A Virgin Galactic employee sits in a conceptual mock-up cabin of the world's first ever vehicle for space tourism at the Science Museum in London. Designed by British firm Seymour Powell, the nine meter long mock-up of the passenger cabin gives a taste of a unique vehicle which combines the technology of an airplane with a rocket. (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)
Virgin Atlantic announced today that its SpaceShipTwo, the world's first commercial spacecraft, has been cleared for take-off and is ready to launch Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson and his two kids into space by the end of next year, according to The Telegraph.
Among the passengers are Sir Richard, his son Sam, and his daughter Holly, according to Britain's The Daily Record.
More from GlobalPost: India: Idlis in space? More proof that they'll open a dhaba anywhere.
"Virgin Galactic's goal is to revolutionize the way we get to space," Branson today told audiences at the UK's Farnborough International Airshow.
One hundred and twenty people have already bought their $200,000 seats on board SpaceShipTwo, tentatively set for its first official two-hour space flight in 2014, said The Telegraph. (Branson and kids will go on an earlier test run.)
The company also said it has received payments from more more people than the total number of astronauts launched into space in history.
Also today, Virgin Atlantic announced that its new LauncherOne rocket has received major investments and will be able to launch satellites into orbit for a tenth of the cost, reported the Associated Press.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120711/virgin-atlantic-spaceshiptwo-first-commercial-sp
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