Going to
outer space without proper astronaut training might seem pretty unimaginable, but thanks to
Virgin Galactic—the world's first commercial spaceflight company—regular folks are closer than ever to becoming true celestial voyagers.
While a trip aboard VSS Unity doesn't mean you can romp around on the moon, the spacecraft has successfully completed a glide test, which means flights that would take six customers at a time on a two-and-a-half-hour exploration are even closer to becoming a reality. According to Travel + Leisure, the spacecraft's latest dry run over the Mojave Desert tested everything from flight performance to stability and control. After the dry runs are complete, the next phase will be rocket-powered test flights.
If everything goes according to plan, people could start booking flights by the end of 2018 where they'll not only be able to experience weightlessness, but also see the Earth from space.
So when can you expect the first trip to happen? The company is going to continue doing tests until April, when the first suborbital flight is set to take place. And if everything goes according to plan, by the end of 2018, regular folks could start booking flights (or in this case, submitting applications) on which they'll not only be able to experience weightlessness but also see the Earth from space and be up close and personal with the stars they generally only gaze at from gravity-bound grass, Travel + Leisure reports.. (Could anything boost your celestially aligned mood more?)
Unfortunately, space travel isn't cheap: Each ticket is set to cost approximately $250,000, and you'll still have to fight with human stars like Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio for a seat. Here's to hoping something so cool becomes a little more affordable in the near future—but until then, we can all enjoy some trendy moon-inspired accessories.
Not so sure about the outer space thing? Here are 10 otherworldly places to travel in 2018. Or, maybe just go to Vancouver.
