p2pnet.net News:- Virgin is heading for the stars. Literally.

Taking his corporate logo to its ultimate conclusion, Virgin Group boss Sir Richard Branson is having five passenger-carrying spacecraft built by the people who created Microsoft co-founder (and fellow billionaire) Paul Allen’s SpaceShipOne.

He’s also launched the Virigin Dital online music service in the US today, charging the corporate standard rate of 99 per track.

And why not if people are foolish enough to pay it? Alternatively, punters can pay $8 a month.

On his journey where no music company has gone before, Branson told the BBC it’ll cost anyone who wants a ride on "Virgin Galactic" almost $200,000 and that the first flights should begin in about three years’ time.

"We’ve done quite a lot of research; we think there are about 3,000 people out there who would want to do this," he told the BBC.

Branson’s Virgin empire stretches from planes and trains to vodka, music and personal finance and he’s teaming up with Allen, "to build five, fish-shaped capsules for the two-to-three hour flights," says a Reuters report, adding:

"The flights will climb to about 130 kilometers, roughly six times higher than regular commercial planes, and include four minutes of weightlessness, views of the horizon from 1,200 miles away and possibly a gin and tonic if granted a liquor license."

Next?

Orbital flights and, a hotel in space

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See:-

created - SpaceShipOne: only the beginning, p2pnet, June 27, 2004

almost $200,000 - Virgin boss in space tourism bid, BBC Online News, September 27, 2004

fish-shaped - UK’s Branson to Launch Space Tourism in 2007, Reuters, September 27, 2004

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