SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, that is to carry the spacecraft into space, will begin initial tests this summer. The flight is expected to be two-hour long, with 4.5 minutes of weightlessness at about 68 miles altitude. The price for such an experience will be $200,000 in the beginning, but Branson said it will drop within the first five years of operations.

The space adventure will begin in New Mexico, at Spaceport America, but the space tourism agency says trips will also become available from Kiruna, Sweden, for a unique spectacle of the aurora borealis. For the time being, the SpaceShipTwo is 60 percent complete, while the WhiteKnightTwo carrier is 70 percent complete.