14 DAY TRIAL // Virgin Galactic has been promising space flights for us mere mortals, rich mere mortals at least, for quite a few years now. There have been some delays, but things are looking up, so to speak.
There's still no concrete date on the first commercial flights, but the latest test flights have been quite encouraging. Still, the first flights will begin no earlier than mid-2014, probably later than that.
But Virgin Galactic founder, billionaire and international man of mystery Richard Branson is ramping up the hype with a new promo video encouraging people to sign up for a flight.
At $250,000 (€185,000) a seat, a trip to space, or rather low Earth orbit, is expensive. But, there isn't exactly an alternative, unless you plan to become a professional astronaut. And you get more than a flight out of it.
"You will be joining our community of over 600 future astronauts which has become one of the most exclusive clubs in the world," Virgin Galactic writes.
"Once confirmed, you're given priority access to a variety of Virgin Galactic events. Our future astronauts have visited Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson, completed G-force training, celebrated milestone powered test flights in the Mojave Desert and much more," it adds.