The One
18th October 2011, 11:36
British billionaire Richard Branson has opened the world's first commercial spaceport
With usual flair, the businessman inaugurated the building in the New Mexico desert by breaking a champagne bottle against a hangar - while abseiling down the side of it.
The site has been called Spaceport America http://www.spaceportamerica.com/ and will serve as the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic.mmmmm Galactic
The company said it is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos http://www.virgingalactic.com/overview/spaceships/, in addition to all of Virgin's astronaut preparation facilities and mission control.
About 150 people already booked on to the first flights attended the event. Also among the guests was US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second human on the moon.
http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2011/Oct/Week3/16091146.jpg
Virgin's SpaceShipTwo on the tarmac at Spaceport America
Last month Mr Branson said he hoped to launch a vessel into space within the next 12 months, which he said would kick off an era of commercial space travel.
"The mother ship is finished... The rocket tests are going extremely well, and so I think that we're now on track for a launch within 12 months of today," he said.
"About an hour between Los Angeles and London is not completely out of the question," Mr Branson said, while adding it would probably take many years before the company could offer such a service.
In the meantime, Virgin has sold around 430 tickets for space travel, at £127,000 ($200,000) each.
A number of private companies are rushing to fill the gap left by Nasa, which ended its 30-year Shuttle programme in July with the completion of the final Atlantis mission to the International Space Station.
Anyone get 2 tickets for the price of 1 let me know and i will gladly come lol
http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/16091128
With usual flair, the businessman inaugurated the building in the New Mexico desert by breaking a champagne bottle against a hangar - while abseiling down the side of it.
The site has been called Spaceport America http://www.spaceportamerica.com/ and will serve as the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic.mmmmm Galactic
The company said it is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos http://www.virgingalactic.com/overview/spaceships/, in addition to all of Virgin's astronaut preparation facilities and mission control.
About 150 people already booked on to the first flights attended the event. Also among the guests was US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second human on the moon.
http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2011/Oct/Week3/16091146.jpg
Virgin's SpaceShipTwo on the tarmac at Spaceport America
Last month Mr Branson said he hoped to launch a vessel into space within the next 12 months, which he said would kick off an era of commercial space travel.
"The mother ship is finished... The rocket tests are going extremely well, and so I think that we're now on track for a launch within 12 months of today," he said.
"About an hour between Los Angeles and London is not completely out of the question," Mr Branson said, while adding it would probably take many years before the company could offer such a service.
In the meantime, Virgin has sold around 430 tickets for space travel, at £127,000 ($200,000) each.
A number of private companies are rushing to fill the gap left by Nasa, which ended its 30-year Shuttle programme in July with the completion of the final Atlantis mission to the International Space Station.
Anyone get 2 tickets for the price of 1 let me know and i will gladly come lol
http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/16091128