Legendary entrepreneur and billionaire, Richard Branson, has moved his Virgin Galactic space division a step closer to beginning the commercialization of space. The space exploration company was recently granted an operator’s license by the Federal Aviation Administration which will now allow Virgin’s Space Ship Two to begin commercial flights when it feels it is ready to do so.
It has been two years since the original space craft crashed killing two pilots. The new craft, the company says, is ready to go. Senior VP of Operations, Mike Moses stated that, “The granting of our operator license is an important milestone for Virgin Galactic. While we still have much work ahead to fully test this space ship in flight, I am confident that our world class team is up to the challenge.”
The company recently received a fresh infusion to the tune of $600 million from Branson. Virgin Galactic looks to be launching satellites, as well as possibly paying passengers, by some time in 2017. The expected price tag for a ticket to outer space via Virgin Galactic is said to be in the $250,000 per seat range. They are already taking orders and there seems no shortage of those willing to fork over the quarter million dollars for the chance to take a ride out into outer space.
Before the crash, the original Space Ship Two flew 55 missions without a mishap. The crash was attributed to pilot error and, because of the crash, some who have already bought seats are looking for a refund. The new ship has already begun its series of tests aimed at getting it into orbit within the next year.
Founder of Virgin, Richard Branson, said that, “…with the investigation completed, we can now focus fully on a strengthened resolve to achieve out goals. It is important that our collective efforts and sacrifices are not in vain but serve to inspire others to make big dreams come true.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Virgin Galactic