Priced At IDR 6.4 Billion, Virgin Galactic Space Tourism Tickets Are Selling Well

JAKARTA - Virgin Galactic's space tourism business has received astonishing enthusiasm, with 100 tickets sold since the reopening of ticket sales in August.

This means that the company has around 700 ticket holders now for fast-paced space travel. However, this figure is still less than Virgin Galactic's estimate, which should sell 1,000 tickets.

However, the company acknowledged that its suborbital tourism ticket sales were very fast. They hope the tickets will be sold out before starting the commercial flights of the vehicle.

"We sold tickets faster than we planned. The pricing strategy we announced in the last quarter has been well received," said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier.

In fact, the company sold tickets higher at US$450,000 or Rp. 6.4 billion, much higher than the previous price of US$250,000 or Rp. 3.5 billion during Virgin Galactic's initial ticket round last year.

Tickets are offered to a group of individuals who have made a refundable $1,000 deposit, demonstrating their interest in flying with Virgin Galactic.

Early next year, the company will open wider ticket sales to people who want to know flight information. Of the 700 tickets, one includes Elon Musk, who has already booked a place on Virgin Galactic flights. But it is not known for sure when this space journey will happen soon.

According to The Verge, Wednesday, November 10, Virgin Galactic is reopening ticket sales just a month after the company successfully flew its founder, billionaire Richard Branson, to the edge of space on the company's flagship spacecraft, called VSS Unity, in July.

As the flight took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, Branson flew with two test pilots and three other passengers, reaching an altitude of more than 53 miles before returning to Earth.