Virgin Galactic wants to open space flights to ‘dramatically’ more people
Sir Richard Branson's space tourism company has received roughly 8,000 registrations of interest from potential passengers
Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial space line, is working to resume ticket sales for its space tour amid surging demand.
“We aspire to open space to… dramatically more people… then in the past,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George T. Whitesides to FOX Business’ Kristina Partsinevelos Wednesday.
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Whitesides' comments come on the heels of the company reporting a fourth-quarter net loss of $72.8 million.
Virgin Galactic ground crew guide the company's carrier plane into the hangar at Spaceport America following a test flight over the desert near Upham, N.M. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
Whitesides added that the space tourism company, which was founded in 2004 by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, also looks forward to eventually moving to high-speed, point-to-point transportation in the follow-up phase.
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The California-based company, which made its first successful suborbital test flight to space in 2018, announced Tuesday during the company’s earnings conference call that roughly 8,000 people expressed interest in buying a ticket. Although Virgin Galactic is in the middle of a soft close of ticket sales and has not yet released a new tranche of tickets to the market, Whitesides said the registrations of interest represents $120 million worth of future business.
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So far, 600 tickets have been sold for its inaugural flight, which is scheduled for later this year.
Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity flies over Spaceport America in Truth or Consequences, N.M., Feb. 13, 2020. (Virgin Galactic via AP, File)
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Since tickets are limited, eager travelers can get bumped to the front of the line by registering on its One Small Step program and leaving a $1,000 refundable deposit.
Tickets for its inaugural flight were selling for $250,000 each, however, Whitesides said once sales reopen, prices will be higher.