Space terminal ready for commercial space flights

British billionaire Richard Branson yesterday ceremoniously unveiled his new space terminal in the New Mexico desert where wealthy tourists will blast into orbit as of 2013.

With his usual flair, Richard Branson rappelled from a balcony, shook up a big bottle of champagne and took a swig while christening the building. Branson was joined by Governor Susana Martinez, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and scores of would-be space travellers at the terminal-hangar for the dedication.

It had been nearly a year since Branson was in New Mexico to celebrate the completion of the runway of his company Virgin Galactic. With the spaceport and mothership completed, the company is now finalizing its rocket tests.
He hopes enough powered test flights of Virgin Galactic's sleek spacecraft can be done by the end of 2012 to start commercial suborbital flights from the spaceport soon after.

More than 450 people have purchased tickets to fly with Virgin Galactic. About 150 of them attended the ceremony.

Tickets for rides cost $200,000. The two-and-a-half-hour flights will include about five minutes of weightlessness and views of Earth that until now only astronauts have been able to experience. Branson and his two children will be among the first to fly.

Construction of this terminal cost $209million. The runway is 3.2 kilometers long, whereas the terminal and hangar facility span 10,233 square meters. Commercial service will start up after the company gets a license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

NASA has already signed a $4.5million contract with the company for up to three chartered research flights.

Richard Branson

space flights

commercial space flights

space terminal

space ship

New Mexico

Susana Martines

Buzz Aldrin

Virgin Galactic

NASA

view of Earth from space