The future is now, and Virgin makes headlines, by announcing the rocket powered space shuttle that will carry passengers to the outer limits of our earth. Seems like science fiction, but British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson (of Virgin), announced Monday- that Virgin Galactic is gearing up to be the first company to launch commercial flights into outer space by 2009.

The Virgin group is working with aviation designer Burt Rutan, who’s history lies in making of the SpaceShipOne vessel; the first privately built vehicle to reach space. Rutan's company, Scaled Composites, has also been recruited, to design and build the passenger spaceship and its mothership. Virgin Galactic will own and operate at least five spaceships and two motherships. Spacecraft is to be designed to carry 6 passengers and two pilots to an altitude of 140km. The mock-up of the spacecraft was unveiled at the Javits exhibition centre in New York on Thursday.

The company plans construction of the first vessel; VSS Enterprise, next year, and Virgin expects to fly 3,000 new astronauts within five years, with fares starting at 115,000 pounds (US$208,000, €169,000) for a suborbital flight, including three days' training. The flights will take off from a brand new $225m facility in the New Mexico desert called Spaceport America.

There are also current negotiations in regards to a reality TV show where contestants would compete for a place on a space flight.

Home to Spock. The universe just got a little bit smaller. (if you could afford it, that is)

More info @ Virgin Galactic

Via BBC