Hundreds Ready To Pay $200K For Space Trip
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ORLANDO, Fla. --
Virgin Atlantic is busy these days. Not only is the airline adding new routes from Orlando to California, it’s in the midst of preparing for a destination that’s even farther out there -- space.
In Orlando on Wednesday, Virgin’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, talked about another arm of the company that’s getting close to lifting off -- Virgin Galactic.
The company made a key test flight this week.
It turns out not even a big price tag would turn someone away from a chance to fly into space. Branson said close to 400 people are ready to put down $200,000 a person for the flights, which would only last a few minutes.
Branson said his planes would be in space in about two years.
When the space launches happen, the new space ship will initially fly out of New Mexico, where taxpayers built a spaceport just for Virgin Galactic.
Branson said the flights may one day depart from Cape Canaveral. He said the area would be his East Coast base.
Branson was in Orlando on Wednesday to promote new routes from Orlando to LAX and San Francisco.
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