However, the crash of SpaceShipTwo in California's Mojave Desert last Friday has come as a huge dampener. One pilot died in the crash and another one is in hospital. The net result is that as many as 24 'future astronauts' want to pull out and want refund of what they had paid.
They are wealthy investors who had signed up to be among the first space tourists with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic program and have now had second thoughts and have given up their tickets.
Incidentally, as many as 800 persons have signed up to be passengers of space tourism and have stuck with Branson's venture for 10 years despite in spite of it facing numerous set-backs and hiccups. But, the fatal accident appears to have had a bad effect.
One of the unwilling ones is Peter Ulrich von May, an asset manager based in Switzerland, he no longer wishes to travel into space with Virgin Galactic and he has demanded his money back. It seems he had subscribed seven years ago when he was 63, he is still an active private pilot and in good health and does not know when his dream would materialize. Another high profile customers is Princess Beatrice – she will not be boarding the Virgin Galactic spacecraft after the disaster last week.
More than 700 people - including Hollywood celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio - have bought tickets for Virgin Galactic space voyage flights, which sell for $250,000. Ashton Kutcher was one of the first celebrities to book his ticket - and the 500th person overall - and he has since been joined by Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Russell Brand and Lady Gaga.
If these celebs want to opt out, it would cost millions to Sir Richard Branson. He has woven a dream for them and has to now face the consequences.
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