{"id":234949,"date":"2023-09-06T12:59:29","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T12:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=234949"},"modified":"2023-09-06T12:59:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T12:59:29","slug":"richard-branson-to-launch-commercial-spaceflights-this-month-at-sky-high-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/lifestyle\/richard-branson-to-launch-commercial-spaceflights-this-month-at-sky-high-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Branson to launch commercial spaceflights this month at sky-high prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first ever commercial spaceflight from Richard Branson's space tourism company has finally been given a launch date this month<\/p>\n

Virgin Galactic will blast off into the sky between the 27th and 30th of June, ferrying three researchers from Italy into space on the 'Galactic 01'.<\/p>\n

After that, a second flight will take place in August before the company begins offering monthly spaceflights.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Elon Musk hires 14-year-old boy genius as SpaceX engineer<\/b><\/p>\n

Before you start packing your snorkel, though, there's a catch: tickets cost a sky-high \u00a3352,170 ($450,000), which isn't exactly the kind of bargain you'd get with Ryanair.<\/p>\n

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The Virgin Galactic flight has been scheduled just months after Richard Branson's other private space firm, Virgin Orbit, went bust following a disastrous launch from Newquay airport in Cornwall.<\/p>\n

The firm has so far sold more than 800 tickets, which will take passengers 80km into the sky where they can float around in zero gravity for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

It's technically the edge of space according to NASA, but you'd hope for that money they'd be taking you to the Moon at the very least.<\/p>\n

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