Virgin Galactic is a company within Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public. Further in the future Virgin Galactic plans to offer orbital spaceflights as well.

Virgin Galactic’s mission is to fly passengers who are not professional astronauts to an altitude slightly over 100 kilometers (62 miles) and allow them to experience weightlessness for up to 6 minutes. 

Although seats on the first flights have been sold at a premium (starting at $200,000.00 for the first 100) after the first 500 passengers, seats will be booked with a deposit of US $20,000.00.

According to Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn, the company had sold nearly 200 seats as of November 2007.The first passenger flight is planned for 2010.