SINGAPORE: British entrepreneur Richard Branson said he expects his Virgin Galactic company to conduct its first space flight 鈥渨ithin weeks, not months鈥� in comments broadcast Tuesday.
Speaking to CNBC in Singapore, the billionaire Virgin founder said the company was 鈥渕ore than tantalisingly close鈥� to launching its first mission to space, and that he himself hoped to briefly leave Earth within 鈥渕onths not years.鈥�
鈥淲e will be in space with people not too long after that,鈥� he added.
Branson鈥檚 Virgin Galactic is racing against Amazon creator Jeff Bezos鈥� Blue Origin to launch the first out-of-this-world passenger flight and take paying passengers into space.
Both companies will offer customers a weightless experience that will last just minutes, passing through the imaginary line marking where space begins 鈥� either the Karman line, at 100 kilometers (62 miles), or the 50-mile boundary recognized by the US Air Force.
At this altitude, the sky looks dark and the curvature of the Earth can be seen clearly.
The first space tourists, who visited the International Space Station (ISS) in the 2000s, paid tens of millions of dollars for the privilege.
Branson said the proposed $250,000 price tag of a Virgin Galactic ticket would allow those who dreamed of visiting space to lift off in larger numbers.
鈥淚f I have a room full of 10 people, eight out of 10 would love to go to space if they could afford it,鈥� he said.
鈥淯ltimately,鈥� Branson said he hoped the price of a space flight would come down to around $40,000 or $50,000 over the next decade.鈥�