Singapore family books $1 million Virgin space flight!


melvin

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Jun 4, 2005
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A Singaporean businessman, his wife and two children have paid $1 million to become the first Asian family to fly together on space-tourism airline Virgin Galactic, the company announced Monday.

"I had lunch yesterday with a guy who got in touch with us in Singapore, and over lunch he signed his contract for not just a seat, but for a whole flight," Virgin Galactic commercial director Stephen Attenborough said.

Speaking at an international media and marketing conference in Singapore, Attenborough said the customer handed over a cheque for $1 million and asked to remain anonymous because "apparently he hasn't told his wife yet."

"So he is going to become, or he and his family will become, the first family from Asia to become astronauts together," Attenborough said.

The US-based firm, part of British tycoon Richard Branson's Virgin conglomerate, has sold bookings since 2005 at $200,000 per seat even though it has not yet set a firm timetable for space flights to be launched from New Mexico.

Branson announced in late 2004 that the firm would launch the world's first space tourism flights in two to three years but after delays, the target has now been moved to 2013.

Attenborough told AFP in an interview that the Singaporean businessman chartered one exclusive flight for his family on the six-seat aircraft SpaceShipTwo.

The SpaceshipTwo, with two pilots, is designed to be launched by a transport plane called White KnightTwo and will be guided by a rocket motor before gliding back to Earth.

"They should be flying in the first year of commercial operations. They'll be within the first thousand human beings to have ever gone to space, or they should be," Attenborough said.

He said nine out of nearly 500 tickets sold worldwide had been bought by customers in Singapore, which has one of Asia's highest concentrations of millionaires.

Families from other countries such as Canada, the United States and Britain have also bought tickets, Attenborough said.

"About 35 to 40 percent are from the United States, 15 percent from the UK... I think there are 46 countries now represented in total and for many of those countries, the people will be the first astronaut for that country," he said.

Customers from the Asia-Pacific region now account for "approximately 15 percent" of ticket sales despite a ban on Virgin Galactic selling seats in China, the region's biggest economy.

"The space vehicle is US technology and they fall under a set of regulations in the United States which means that there are some countries where at the moment we're not permitted to sell tickets," he explained.

"I think Asia is a huge opportunity for us, absolutely. Just the interest we've had from Singapore, which is a fairly small part of Asia, I've been extremely impressed," he said.

"We have seen an increasing amount of interest from this part of the world and hopefully that will translate into lots of future astronauts."

In anticipation of burgeoning future demand for space tourism, Attenborough said Virgin Galactic had already ordered more spacecraft.

Attenborough said the company expected to take three years to recoup its investments, which he estimated at $300 million to $400 million, with one flight a week when commercial operations begin.

If everything goes smoothly, "we would hope to be flying people to space by 2013," he said.


Source


If you have all that money will you guys do it?
 

Of course.... If I have the spare million on my bank, I will bring my family.... Hahaha... At the moment is just a dream.

Hart
 

Err... by the way Its US$1million!

If i have i wont travel to space! I would upgrade all my system n travel around the world if i were to travel... cos cant even complete travelling around the world talk about space!:sweat:
 

charity, giving back to the community. most of the time expensive splurges aren't necessary except to boost the ego.

While I agree that these are better uses for society, I think it's also very noteworthy that most people who can't afford these things will make such comments, but when they can, things can sometimes change. :bsmilie:
 

While I agree that these are better uses for society, I think it's also very noteworthy that most people who can't afford these things will make such comments, but when they can, things can sometimes change. :bsmilie:

very true. when the time comes we'll see :bsmilie:

but i'll still stand by principle and give the wealth to those who can really benefit from it first ;)
 

Well, if I have a million spare cash, I wouldn't mind giving it a go. Going to space has always been a kid's dream for me.

As for donating the money for better causes, I assume those who espouses it are already doing so on a smaller scale? :)
 

To many this maybe the easier way to fly:

nah I don't think he can fly well. The bulge between the legs introduce serious aerodynamic drag :what: He needs 1mil to remove that bulge before he hits the stratosphere.
 

nah I don't think he can fly well. The bulge between the legs introduce serious aerodynamic drag :what: He needs 1mil to remove that bulge before he hits the stratosphere.

errs theres a cheaper option, he could just just tuck it between the legs slight discomfort but hell way cheaper.... hahahahaha
 

Its a straight yes for me. Reasons very simple:
1) Who doesn't want to be the first and made history? He's smart to book the whole fight. The second family to do so will not be remembered;
2) The businessman family would have already travelled around the world in about how many times over. This experience supersedes everything kind of transportation the family has taken, you named it they presumed to have sat on it. BUT space travelled is exclusive, unique, formiable as it meant only for trained astronaunts in the past;
3) Its always not about the money spent but how it is being spent, wisely or unwisely done is in the eye of the beholder, agreed? For billionaires, millionaires around the world VS people who cant even mean daily ends-meet; Its totally different.

If I have the dollars and connections, will denfinitely try to buy my way to beat the businessman to it.
 

charity, giving back to the community. most of the time expensive splurges aren't necessary except to boost the ego.

I am sure those could afford it, have do their part in supporting charity and helping charity.

There are a lot of things other then to boost ego with expensive splurges... In life, sometimes you need to do something insane to know that you are alive and sane. Human like to contradict their life....

Hart