British billionaire Richard Branson opened(in October 2011) the world's first-ever commercial spaceport in the New Mexico Desert, the new home for his company - Virgin Galactic
Spaceport America,’ as the site is called, will serve "as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgin’s astronaut preparation facilities and mission control," said the company.
About 150 people already booked for travel on the first flights to orbit attended the event.Branson said he hoped to launch a vessel into space within the next 12 monthsand that would kick off an era of commercial space travel.Virgin has sold some 430 tickets for space travel, at $200,000 a pop for an estimated $86 million.
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