Virgin Galactic's first flight will be a scientific research mission that will carry three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the Italian National Research Council. This will be followed by a 'commercial flight' in August, dubbed Galactic 02.
Virgin Galacti owner, British billionaire Richard Branson, announced that the first flight will take place between June 27-30. Speaking in January, Branson said it could take several years for space travel to become widespread and several decades for commercial space travel to become normalized.
The company confirmed that the price per person to join this tour is 450 thousand dollars and 800 reservations have already been made. As part of the trip, the company will take passengers 80 km above the Earth and provide a revolutionary experience that allows them to remain in zero gravity for several minutes.
Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said: "We are launching the first commercial travel line from Earth to space with two dynamic products: scientific research and special space missions.''
Following this exciting announcement, Virgin Galactic's shares on the New York stock exchange increased by over 40 percent. The company aims to organize a few flights a year at first, followed by more flights with high commercial value.
