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Virgin Galactic Shows Off its Spaceport

posted by martyb on Sunday August 18 2019, @10:21PM   Printer-friendly
from the Where-is-the-line-for-TSA? dept.

takyon writes:

Virgin Galactic unveils luxury lounge at its airport for space tourism

Richard Branson's space tourism startup, Virgin Galactic, is showing off a luxurious lounge area and top-shelf amenities for its wealthy clientele. The company on Thursday shared images of the interior at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Ticket holders, most of whom paid $200,000 or more for a Virgin Galactic flight, will one day congregate at the spaceport before they board a supersonic plane for a 90-minute ride into the upper atmosphere.

The renovations are another sign that Virgin Galactic is preparing to open for business at Spaceport America, a controversial facility that was built a decade ago using local taxpayer dollars. Images of the first-floor lounge area show a large coffee bar made of "back-lit Italian marble hovering above hand-crafted oak," according to a press release. Modern couches line the floor-to-ceiling windows at the spaceport with panoramic views of the surrounding desert. Other new facilities include a mission control center, a working area for pilots, and a briefing center.

Hundreds of people are lined up to ride a short high-speed trip aboard a Virgin Galactic space plane. Branson, who founded the venture in 2004, plans to be the first tourist aboard a Virgin Galactic space plane. The company said it has additional test flights planned and will be ready to start flying paying customers in the first half of 2020.

Also at TechCrunch.

Older article: Virgin Galactic prepares to move vehicles, staff to Spaceport America

Related: Virgin Galactic: Rocket Reaches Space Again in Test Flight (Update)

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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by NateMich on Monday August 19 2019, @12:22AM (3 children)

    by NateMich (6662) on Monday August 19 2019, @12:22AM (#881900)

    Virgin Galactic sounds a bit ironic, no?

    You're supposed to start here. When you're more experienced you try your luck with some SpaceX.

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  • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday August 19 2019, @12:26AM

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday August 19 2019, @12:26AM (#881901) Journal

    try your luck with some SpaceX

    Can I score some on the darkweb?

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 19 2019, @03:19AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 19 2019, @03:19AM (#881944)

    The virgin galactic vs. the Chad^W Elon space couch.