Richard Branson's dream of ferrying paying tourists into space came a step closer last week with the successful completion of a \"cold flow\" test of its spacecraft. <\/p>\n
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two flew high above the Mojave Desert in California as oxidiser - rocket propellant - was pumped through the propulsion system for the first time. <\/p>\n
Although it was not ignited, it indicates the rocket is ready for the next stage - fully fired up testing. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A statement of the Virgin Galactic website said: \"As well as providing further qualifying evidence that the rocket system is flight ready, the test also provided a stunning spectacle due to the oxidizer contrail and for the first time gave a taste of what SpaceShipTwo will look like as it powers to space. <\/p>\n
Although still in the testing phase, Virgin Galactic's craft could be ready to take paying tourists into space as early as next year. <\/p>\n
The world's first purpose built spaceport is currently being built in the Mojave Desert. <\/p>\n
Amongst the first customers for the sub-orbital space flight could be Tom Cruise. The Hollywood A-lister recently told the Sun he would consider paying 130,000 for a seat onboard. <\/p>\n
\"Who wouldnt want to do something like that?\" he added. <\/p>\n
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Read more from the original source:<\/p>\n
Virgin Galactic Craft One Giant Step Closer To Space Flight<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Richard Branson's dream of ferrying paying tourists into space came a step closer last week with the successful completion of a \"cold flow\" test of its spacecraft. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two flew high above the Mojave Desert in California as oxidiser - rocket propellant - was pumped through the propulsion system for the first time. Although it was not ignited, it indicates the rocket is ready for the next stage - fully fired up testing. Continue reading