# VirginGalactic Unveils Mock Up of Spaceplane

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgingalactic-unveils-mock-up-of-spaceplane/374941
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 2, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgingalactic-unveils-mock-up-of-spaceplane/374941 "2006-10-02T06:32:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgingalactic-unveils-mock-up-of-spaceplane/374941/1 "2006-10-02T06:32:10Z")

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[I note that the projected ticket price has _ **dropped** _.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5388482.stm)

> [@](#):
>
> Sir Richard Branson has unveiled a mock-up of the rocket-powered vehicle that will carry clients into space through his Virgin Galactic business.
> 
> The Virgin spaceships are designed to carry six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of about 140km on a sub-orbital space flight.
> 
> Tickets on a Virgin Galactic flight are expected to cost £100,000 ($190,000).
> 
> The mock-up of the spacecraft was unveiled at the Javits exhibition centre in New York on Thursday.
> 
> The Virgin craft are based on the design of SpaceShipOne, built by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, which became the first privately built vehicle to reach space in 2004.

It’s looking more and more, IMHO, that the plan is to have the company well in the black before the first plane leaves the ground. The price cut from $250K to $190K before the first one’s taken off (and they’ve got _plenty_ of reservations from people willing and able to pony up the cash) tell’s me that they’ve managed to cut the costs dramatically.