Space Miles for Virgin Galactic - pretty cool
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:56 pm
Branson reveals frequent-flyer space plan
Virgin Airlines is to offer frequent-flyer "Space Miles" that passengers can put towards flights in space with the company's soon to be launched Virgin Galactic.
Richard Branson says customers who collect two million points will be entitled to be among the first commercial astronauts when his space plan takes off in two years.
"There are already 30 people in the world who have collected enough air miles to fly into space," Mr Branson said.
"We do think there will be a lot of Virgin Atlantic people who will want to travel into space."
Mr Branson in July formed a company to build five aircraft that can each fly seven people beyond the atmosphere.
The rockets are based on the SpaceShipOne of designer Burt Rutan, which won the $US10 million "X Prize" for sending a privately designed craft into space twice in two weeks.
The first flights are scheduled for 2008 and will cost $US200,000 ($A265,400).
The program has so far cost the Virgin Group $US250 million to develop but Mr Branson says 40,000 people have already signed up to be the first paying passengers in space.
"We expect there will be hundreds of thousands of people who will want to fly into space in the next few years," he said.
- AFP
Virgin Airlines is to offer frequent-flyer "Space Miles" that passengers can put towards flights in space with the company's soon to be launched Virgin Galactic.
Richard Branson says customers who collect two million points will be entitled to be among the first commercial astronauts when his space plan takes off in two years.
"There are already 30 people in the world who have collected enough air miles to fly into space," Mr Branson said.
"We do think there will be a lot of Virgin Atlantic people who will want to travel into space."
Mr Branson in July formed a company to build five aircraft that can each fly seven people beyond the atmosphere.
The rockets are based on the SpaceShipOne of designer Burt Rutan, which won the $US10 million "X Prize" for sending a privately designed craft into space twice in two weeks.
The first flights are scheduled for 2008 and will cost $US200,000 ($A265,400).
The program has so far cost the Virgin Group $US250 million to develop but Mr Branson says 40,000 people have already signed up to be the first paying passengers in space.
"We expect there will be hundreds of thousands of people who will want to fly into space in the next few years," he said.
- AFP
