Sir Richard Branson has revealed his hopes for his Virgin Galactic firm to send tourists on spaceflights from UK soil as he hopes to be sending 700 people per year into space in two years time.
The founder of Virgin confirmed his ambitions to speak to the Labour Government about sending tourists on crewed spaceflights from a UK runway, revealing he is currently in talks with the Italian Government.
Currently, Virgin Galactic flies from New Mexico in the United States with tickets costing £356,000. The spaceship requires up to two months of checks between every flight at the moment.
He said that since 2021, including himself about 700 have been to space but claimed that "two years from now [Virgin Galactic] has the potential of putting up 700 people per year". He revealed that a new ship that is currently in development will be able to "fly twice in a week" which will help reduce price.
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Spaceport Cornwall is the only operational site in Britain with a licence for "horizontal launches for space planes or rocket-carrying aircraft.
Mr Branson told the Space-Comm Expo at London's ExCel Centre, from his Necker Island in he British Virgin Islands via video link: "We are talking to the Italians about building a spaceport in Italy. It would be great to have a spaceport on European soil. Obviously, I'm biased. I would dearly love to have one in the UK. Maybe at some stage we might talk to the UK government about that."
Dr Paul Bate, head of the UK Space Agency, said: "[When] one of the best entrepreneurs in the world says they want to launch in the UK, then of course let's work that through together."
Scotland currently has three spaceports with its SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland becoming the UK's second licensed spaceport and the first for "vertical" rocket launches similar to rockets that launch from Cape Canaveral last year.
One in Sutherland and one in the Western Isles for suborbital launches are under development. SaxaVord is currently racing Norway to make the first orbital launch from European soil with plans for its first launch to take place next year.
