Virgin Galactic’s facility at Spaceport America is nearing completion. Mission control is set up inside the massive two-story hanger where six space planes and two motherships will be comfortably parked.
“They actually just declared the space functionally operational. They’ve got mission control installed, and the inside of the building is mostly done,” says reporter Mike Hall of Space.com.
Earth tones in the décor will set the palette for those preparing to depart the planet, for however briefly, catering to an exclusive clientele initially. A ticket aboard the six-passenger suborbital flight will cost $250,000. “That’s in the near future,” says Wall. “They’re hoping that the price is going to come down significantly over time. It’s going to probably come down as they shake all the bugs out of the system and become more familiar with it, and as more and more people fly.”
Virgin Galactic is just one of the players in the new space travel market. Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s Space X are also actively developing commercial flights.
Virgin Galactic is hoping to begin service next year.