Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic resumes tickets sales at $450k each after test success

British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has announced that it is resuming ticket sales starting at $450,000 for space tourism just weeks after the 71-year-old travelled to the edge of space. The general ticket by Virgin Galactic would allow the people to travel 50 miles above the Earth. The tickets for Virgin Galactic flights will offer multi-seat packages and full-plane reservations. The information was revealed in the company’s second-quarter earnings report published on August 5 afternoon. 

The Thursday announcement came after Virgin Galactic previously sold tickets to about 600 people for prices between $200,000 and $250,000 before the sales were halted in 2014 after the death of a pilot in a test flight. As per Forbes report, the new customers of Branson’s company could face a lengthy waiting time. Virgin Galactic plans to start offering commercial flights from 2022 and prioritise the future sales to go to “Spacefarers” who put down deposits. 

“In the second quarter, we made meaningful progress towards commencing commercial service in 2022. We successfully completed two spaceflights from New Mexico — the latest carrying a full crew of mission specialists in the cabin and garnering an extraordinary global media and consumer response. In addition, we received FAA approval to expand our existing launch license, marking the first time the FAA has licensed a Spaceline to fly customers to space,” said Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic. 

“Leveraging the surge in consumer interest following the Unity 22 flight, we are excited to announce the reopening of sales effective today, beginning with our Spacefarer community. As we endeavour to bring the wonder of space to a broad global population, we are delighted to open the door to an entirely new industry and consumer experience,” he added.

Contest for free Virgin Galactic flights tickets

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson’s latest historic trip is being credited for making space more accessible as it has paved the way for anyone across the globe to experience few minutes in zero gravity on a British billionaire’s company vessel. After achieving his own dream of nearly two decades, Branson hailed “space is for all” and encouraged people to spend a few minutes on the edge of the space as he did on Sunday. 

Shortly after achieving the milestone, Branson’s Virgin Galactic unveiled a contest to “Win Two Seats on One of the FIRST Virgin Galactic Flights to Space.” The spaceflight company is set to start its first commercial flights from next year and has opened the contest for people to participate and be “one of the first people to live that dream on a Virgin Galactic spaceflight.”

Additionally, all moments in this once in a lifetime opportunity on Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft would be recorded in an HD video with lucky winners getting window seats. While the cost of Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight is $250,000 per person, the contest provides the same free of cost to the ‘Grand Prize' winner and one guest. The contest closes on September 1 and the winner will be announced around September 29.

IMAGE: AP