Virgin Galactic : Your flight is now departing from space terminal 1

Sir Norman Foster-designed Spaceport America is due to be completed next year in New Mexico.

Virgin Galactic is very close to realising the dream of making travel to the edge of space available to ordinary people. [...]



Virgin is looking to establish a schedule that will see up to three space flights daily. Flights are only licensed within a small box of airspace above the New Mexico Spaceport, so there isn't any legal way SpaceShipTwo could travel through space to another country.

There has been talk of a Virgin Galactic spaceport in Scotland; and while Whitehorn says that's premature, it may not be by that much.

Source : www.dailymail.co.uk... nsons-new-Virgin-Galactic-project.html

reply to post by psychederic


Very cool looking piece of Virgin infrastructure on the ground there.

Such a high tech terminal had me leaning into my laptop and wishing I could pan around for a better look. I have always enjoyed reading about this venture as years ago I used to do the whole online combat flight simulator lark (IL2 Sturmovik) with one of the prototype engineers, BlitzPig_Groucho. He used to update us with photos and a weekly Q&A as to how the project was coming along with lots of passion and excitement that was always very infectious.

In those days before the prototype had even flown we hoped but at the same time few of us actually thought the project was anything more than a pipe dream but wow were we proved wrong.

By the way I don’t know many ‘ordinary people’ who can hand over £140,000 for a rollercoaster flight of fancy but I am happy to overlook that because the whole concept of private space flight tickles the little boy inside me that used to love Dan Dare comics = starred and flagged

Large image:

A friend of mine is booked on a flight! He heard it on the TV news in his hotel room and get straight on the phone and paid.

He got a reply from Richard Branson thanking him and saying not many people had just paid before even knowing any details.

He's not on the first flight, second or third... I cant remember.

reply to post by warlok


What a beautiful building.

I don't have occasion to say that very often, but isn't it lovely.

Next step is to build the space craft to look exactly like the terminal building, and then we're really in Dan Dare territory.

reply to post by muddyhoop


If he fancies company, and doesn't mind paying for me, i'll come along with him!

Haven't got £140.00 to spare, let alone £140,000.00.

I would cheer this on, if the technology used wasn't so completely pathetic, nor if if the price tag wasn't so ridiculous.

oh how i would love to be on one of those flights,it looks amazing.hopefully in 10 or 15 years time i'll be able to afford to take a trip,better start saving now .3 flights a day suprises me,i would have though maybe 2 but the more the better.
it will be interesting to see if any big stars with alot of money will take the flights

I would love to go on one of those flights. But damn this recession and me stuck at a dead end job.

What a beautiful building.

I don't have occasion to say that very often, but isn't it lovely.

Am I the only one that thinks the design looks a little TOO close to going along with Virgin's name....??? Doesn't it look like a certain piece of anatomy?

Just sayin'.....

Still a cool concept.