Virgin Galactic is counting down to its first launch into space and it will happen "in weeks rather than months," according to the space company's owner, British entrepreneur and billionaire Richard Branson.

In an interview with the American CNBC, Branson says that the company, which has the ambition to start arranging tourist trips to space, is "more than ticklingly close" to making the first unmanned launch with a rocket engine. He himself hopes to leave Earth within "months, not years.".

Virgin Galactic is competing with Amazon owner Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to start launching paying passengers into space. The idea is to offer customers a weightless experience for a few minutes at an altitude of around 100 kilometers.

Initially, tickets will cost the equivalent of almost 2.3 million Swedish kronor, according to Richard Branson. However, he hopes that prices will be reduced to about a fifth of that over the next decade.

Source: TT