For decades , none but a few privileged -- and highly trained -- individuals could dare dream of traveling beyond Earth 's orbit . All that 's set to change as Richard Branson brings space exploration to the ( mega-rich ) masses . In April , Virgin Galactic -- a subsidiary of Branson 's Virgin Group -- hit a milestone . The rocket motor the company had been testing on the ground was fitted into SpaceShip Two , the spacecraft that , from next year onwards , will bring space travel to the general public . `` We lit the rocket motor for the first time in the air and the spaceship went through the sound barrier , '' recalls Stephen Attenborough , Virgin Galactic 's commercial director . `` It was a hugely significant milestone for us , and in many ways , the last big piece of the jigsaw . '' Read more : Virgin Galactic one flight closer to space tourism . Though a ticket aboard SpaceShip Two does n't come cheap -- a seat currently costs $ 250,000 -- Attenborough maintains that as things stand , the fare is a relative bargain . `` It 's still about 1 % of the price you would have needed to pay to go to space as a private citizen before now , '' maintains Attenborough . Indeed , in the past , the privilege cost civilians a fair share . When Dennis Tito , the world 's first `` space tourist '' bought a seat aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2001 , it allegedly cost him nearly $ 20 million . Read more : What does it feel like to be weightless ? Though flights wo n't commence until next year at the earliest , Virgin Galactic has already sold 640 seats to space enthusiasts the world over . For some , the cost is negligible . Others , though , have taken second mortgages on their homes to pay for the tickets . So what does $ 250,000 buy you ? The experience starts with three days of training at Spaceport America in New Mexico . `` There 's a lot to do with getting you psychologically prepared for a trip that is absolutely about sensory overload , '' says Attenborough . Read more : Google goes inside the A380 . The flight itself accommodates six passengers , lasts two and a half hours , and culminates with congratulatory champagne at the spaceport . Space travelers get to leave their seats to experience several minutes of zero-gravity , and perhaps the most iconic view ever afforded mankind . `` Ultimately , you get memories to last a lifetime -- a trip I think will just blow people away . When talking to professional astronauts of the past , they do n't talk about ( their experiences ) for a day or a year , they talk about it for the rest of their lives . '' Still , there are many enthusiasts eager to see the price drop , not the least of whom is American astronaut Buzz Aldrin . Aldrin recalls the first time he heard the concept of private space travel debated in a meeting room 25 years ago . `` Somebody said , 'How are we going to select ( who gets to fly to space ) ? ' Someone in the back of the room said , 'How about a lottery ? ' Man , my ears perked up at that , and I became a devotee of a lottery to select people . '' The civilian lottery is the basis of Aldrin 's non-profit , SpaceShare . `` I was n't interested in a big pay-off of the profit made . I was interested in exposing space to a large number of people , '' he says . Attenborough himself is eager to see the price drop . `` This is not just a business for Virgin . It 's about the creation of a new and important industry that is going to transform space access . One of the byproducts of that is there will be competition , there will be economies of scale , and we should see the price go down , '' he says . `` Hopefully there will be a large , thriving , vibrant industry that will make it possible for most people to go into space in my lifetime . ''
Virgin Galactic is scheduled to launch next year . The $ 250,000 trip to space will last two and a half hours . Comment: American astronaut Buzz Aldrin prefers civilians enter a space-travel lottery .