Sir Richard Branson Unveils World's First Commercial Spacecraft...Dec/2009 - Update

 Branson, ( left) with co-developer Burt Rutan

Sir Richard Branson  unveiled his Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, the world’s first commercial spacecraft, in 2009, paving the way for thousands of tourists to travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere. He claimed, at the time, that he may take flight for the great beyond as early as 2011. We having been awaiting word of his progress and it appears he has moved his launching date to spring of  2012. His base is Spaceport America in New Mexico. NASA has approved eight spaceports around the country and Virgin is now neck and neck with Paypal and Amazon in trying to get their shuttles in orbit.

The British billionaire announced that he and his family – including his 92-year-old father – will be on the vessel’s maiden voyage. Other celebrities booked for a trip aboard the shuttle include the physicist Stephen Hawking and environmental scientist James Lovelock.

Sir Richard teamed up with renowned aviation designer Burt Rutan to build the spacecraft, which was five years in the making.  It is based on Rutan's prototype SpaceShipOne, which became the first privately manned craft to reach space in 2004.  Its successor is twice as large and has more windows to enable greater views of Earth as seen from its furthest reaches.

To date the only people who have enjoyed such a view have been the few hundred government-sponsored astronauts and a handful of wealthy stargazers willing to part with a small fortune for a seat on board a Russian rocket destined for space.  SpaceShipTwo has enough space for six passengers and two pilots.
It is believed that some 300 clients have already paid the $200,000 ticket or put down a deposit for a seat.

Speaking from the Mohave Desert in California, where the vessel was developed, Sir Richard said: "I have been dreaming about it ever since the Moon landing – that one day I would get the chance to go into space.
“Nasa, I suppose, didn't think that you or I would like to go into space. So a number of years ago I thought ‘Screw it, let's do it, let's build our own spacecraft'."  "I think it will be an experience that will be out of this world, literally. An experience of a lifetime," Sir Richard added.

SpaceShipTwo will be carried into the skies by its mother ship, White Knight Two, and released at 50,000ft after which rockets will propel it to more than 65 miles above the Earth's crust. After hitting the top of its trajectory, it will fall back to Earth, gliding the last part of the way before landing much like an aeroplane.
The two-and-a-half-hour trip will include around five minutes of weightlessness. Sir Richard said the journey will be "100 per cent safe".  He added: "Nasa spent billions upon billions of dollars on space travel and has only managed to send 480 people.
"We're hoping to send thousands of people into space in the next few years."

I sure wish I was one of them but I think I'll wait till the price of a ticket goes down a bit.