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Richard Branson in a spacesuit at the press conference announcing Australia’s first private astronaut service |
Space enthusiasts dreaming of experiencing the vast universe can now turn that dream into reality: Virgin Blue has announced Australia’s first private astronaut service, priced at $200,000 per flight.
These private astronauts will have the opportunity to travel into space and experience five minutes of weightlessness. Brett Godfrey, the CEO of Virgin Blue, along with science and technology reporters Alan Finkel and Wilson de Silva, will be the first private astronauts from Australia when the Virgin Galactic spacecraft launches in 2008.
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin and British billionaire, stated that this trio will pave the way for space tourism to become a common experience for Australians.
Mr. Godfrey, who admits to being a “space addict,” expressed his excitement about spending $200,000 to be among the first private astronauts. “I have no doubt that flying into space will be an extremely thrilling moment,” he remarked.
“I believe every airline operator in the world wants to understand aerospace technology, and I think that in our lifetime, we will have the chance to fly between Australia and London — a journey that might take you a day — in just a lunch break.”
Mr. Branson donned a silver spacesuit for the press conference, announcing that each Virgin Galactic passenger will undergo three days of training before their space flight.
The flight will last only two hours, during which participants will enjoy five minutes of weightlessness. Mr. Branson mentioned that Virgin Galactic has already received approximately 34,000 registrations from 118 countries for these exciting flights.
“People will depart as passengers and return as astronauts,” he said.
Virgin Galactic also revealed that two other passengers, both under 18 years old, will join this inaugural flight into space from Australia.
