A $ 250,000 Virgin Galactic space ticket costs $ 450,000, but there is a queue for travelers. Virgin Galactic resold tickets for space travel last August. At the time of ticket reopening, up to 100 tickets sold for $ 450,000 each, according to Engadget. Current ticket prices are almost double the initial target of $ 250,000 to $ 250,000. Between 2005 and 2014, the company sold up to 700 tickets for the $ 250,000 Virgin Galactic space ticket, which was sold by 600 passengers. Virgin Galactic, owned by billionaire British entrepreneur Richard Branson, is set to launch commercial space travel by the end of 2022.
“We are working on upgrading our vehicles with a clear roadmap to improve the robustness. And, the predictability of our vehicles to provide commercial services next year,” said Michael Coglaser, CEO of Virgin Galactic. “Demand for the space travel market is strong and seats will have to be sold before travel as planned.” Virgin Galactic expects to sell a total of 1,000 tickets before launching its commercial tour. Those interested in space travel, including Elon Musk, have already made their way to the Virgin Galactic.
Virgin Galactic made its first space flight in July this year, accompanied by company founder Richard Branson. Nine days after the Virgin Galactic flight, US billionaire Jeff Bezos embarked on a space shuttle in his Blue Origin vehicle. Virgin Galactic’s next aircraft, Unity 23, flown by mid-2022, carrying three Italian air force technicians studying microgravity.
Blue Origin to open commercial space station
Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin is launching new projects that are more ambitious than the space travel project. Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, announced Monday that it will build its own space station. According to Engadget, the space station will rename the Orbital Reef and will become a commercial and commercial space station. The project scheduled to start operating between 2025 and 2030. Since, the Orbital Reef will built and operated in partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation-owned Sierra Space. Sierra Space is a space company that builds a spacecraft called Dream Chaser, which launched in 2022 and will carry cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
Boeing developed the Orbital Reef project, Redwire Space; Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University will also provide support. Blue Origin also expects Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser and Boeing’s Starliner to use the Orbital Reef for passenger and cargo transportation. “The space station will expand to a low-cost public access and will provide all the services. And support needed to make space travel smoother,” said Brant Sheawood, senior vice president for advanced development at Blue Origin. According to Blue Origin, the Orbital Reef can accommodate up to 10 people.
This is almost the size provided by the ISS. The company says it will also include man-centered space infrastructure and world-class services. There will also be plenty of space for spacecraft and accommodation. And an open system that will be open to all races and nationalities. Blue Origin is currently launching a world tour that will carry up to eight astronauts. However, the blue Origin is also building projects on the New Glenn rocket and the Blue Moon to launch Orbital Reef modules.