According to the Huffington Post, luxury clients are one step closer to booking a (short) vacation in space. Virgin Galactic has received FAA approval to start flight testing the rocket-propelled SpaceShipTwo.
Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic's development team, has been conducting unpowered tests with the company's two space vehicles, SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo since late 2010. They now have a permit to begin rocket-powered test flights, expected to begin sometime this year.
SpaceShipTwo is designed to take six passengers and two pilots to suborbital space for a few minutes before returning to earth. Over 500 customers - including Ashton Kutcher - have already agreed to pay $200,000 for a trip that's out-of-this-world.
For more information, visit http://www.spaceshiptwo.net.