"This is about dreaming"

Standing in the shadow of White Knight and Ansari X-Prize winner SpaceShipOne, Sir Richard Branson shared his latest plans at for his space-tourism venture announced last September, Virgin Galactic.

"We will carry seven passengers, and two astronauts, into space in the next two-and-a-half to three years," Branson said. It has not yet been determined from where these trips will originate, though Branson mentioned as possibilities Mojave (CA,) as well as Las Vegas (NV) or one of several locations in New Mexico. 

Sir Richard announced the creation of The Space Company, the firm headed by Burt Rutan that will manufacture the larger SpaceShipTwo vessel that is expected to begin carrying paying passengers into space within three years. The mothership, Branson disclosed, will be a slightly larger version of White Knight named "Eve."

The spacecraft will be marketed by a company called Virgin Galactic Airways.

Branson then addressed the issue of ticket prices, currently at $200,000 per seat for the first passenger flights. "For many of us, it's not possible to spend $200,000. It's an incredible thing to think about. But just as it is much cheaper today to fly the airlines than it was in the 1930s, the same applies to space."

"It's one of the few commodities that goes down in price," he added.  Although he was reluctant to comment on how far prices for the low-earth orbital flights could drop-or when-- he did admit that there might be more of a market at $100,000, or less, than at the current price.

Branson then introduced several people who have already reserved their positions on the first flights, including Tom Higgins, who made his fortune as founder of Irish Phone Psychics, billed as "Ireland's Premier Phone Tarot Service." 

"This is an amazing opportunity," said Higgins, who will be Ireland's first astronaut. He then laughed as Branson gleefully snatched the check from his hand.

Sir Richard was altruistic on his intentions for Virgin Galactic. "We're not in this to make money," he stated. "We want people to be able to go up into space, and come back as astronauts. We want them to marvel at this world on which we're living."

"We will reinvest any profits back into space travel. This is about dreaming."

FMI: www.virgingalactic.com, www.realm.ie