Virgin Galactic, Branson's bet that relatively low-cost space tourism will be available--and popular--in the near future.
As long as 10 years before I had dreamt the name Virgin Galactic Airways.
Branson's Virgin Galactic hopes to take paying passengers on three-hour suborbital flights by early 2009.
And Richard Branson is planning to take tourists on jaunts into low-orbit space via Virgin Galactic.
Virgin Galactic is hopeful it will have a successful test launch of its space vehicle next year.
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We'll start with the good: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo had its first successful test flight on Monday.
Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first flights from a site in the Mojave Desert in 2008.
Virgin Galactic, founded in 2004, plans to locate its world headquarters and mission control on the site.
Sir Richard Branson is also expected to give an update on his Virgin Galactic space tourism plans.
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Rocknroll, who changed his name from Abel Smith, works for his uncle's space flight company, Virgin Galactic.
Among them are Xcor Aerospace Inc, which hopes to join Virgin Galactic in the space tourism business.
Once completed, British business magnate Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will begin taking tourists to space from the facility.
Chairman of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic Sir Richard Branson said it's a good opportunity for British pilots.
As of December, Branson had 500 space tourists and scientists alike signed up for trips with Virgin Galactic.
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Virgin Galactic recently signed a deal with the Houston company Nanoracks to design and build SS2's payload mounting system.
According to a Virgin Galactic spokesperson "quite a few " Virgin Atlantic pilots have already signed up for the screening process.
Virgin Galactic has already reportedly attracted early interest from celebrities such as hotel heiress Paris Hilton and rock star Dave Navarro.
The Virgin Galactic experience is a two-parter: the mother ship, Eve, will carry SpaceShip Two to 50, 000 feet before releasing it.
There is little doubt that Branson, the founder of multiple companies, including a suborbital spaceflight company, Virgin Galactic, is a visionary.
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Thanks to Virgin Galactic, another 300 people want to join that list, including at least 11 Russians who have booked on line.
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Virgin Galactic has envisioned one flight a week, with six tourists aboard.
In addition to its commercial passenger flights, Virgin Galactic is also moving forward on plans for satellite launches with its LauncherOne program.
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For the suborbital space flights of the sort that billionaire Richard Branson 's Virgin Galactic hopes to run, energy won't be as costly.
Virgin Galactic is aiming for the winged, minivan-sized SpaceShipTwo to rocket tourists into zero gravity in two or three years, Branson said in December.
Branson revealed former three-time F1 champion Lauda, a fully-trained pilot after owning his own airline, will also learn to fly the Virgin Galactic plane.
The spaceship will be connected to a specially designed carrier aircraft that will take it to about 50, 000 feet, according to Virgin Galactic.
Someday he wants to build a business like Virgin Galactic, only taking paying customers so called "aquanauts" into the ocean's depths, but that's still some way off.
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But many small satellite operators say Pegasus is priced out of their reach, and Virgin Galactic believes its air-launched alternative could be made significantly cheaper.
It was just about the time when Branson announced Virgin Galactic.
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Companies preparing for commercial suborbital passenger service include Virgin Galactic, a U.S.-based offshoot of Branson's Virgin Group of London, and XCOR Aerospace of Mojave, Calif.
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