According to Virgin Galactic, the FAA has approved commercial flights from the company’s spacecraft, the SpaceShipTwo. This means tourists will be going to space in the very near future!
The approval from the FAA encompasses clearing the airspace for the launches and landings of Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo from the take off site in New Mexico. In addition to FAA approval for commercial space flights in New Mexico, Virgin Galactic has FAA approval in California.
Founder Richard Branson hopes these advancements will help contribute to the goal of a 2014 commercial launch, yet no official dates have been set.