Virgin Galactic's Branson Ready for Space Launch Aboard Rocket Plane

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - British billionaire Richard Branson was due on Sunday to climb into his Virgin Galactic passenger rocket plane and soar more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert in the vehicle's first fully crewed test flight to the edge of space. 

Branson, one of six Virgin Galactic Holding Inc. employees strapping in for the ride, has touted the flight as a precursor to a new era of space tourism, with the company he founded poised to begin commercial operations next year.  A discount travel service it is not. But demand is apparently strong, with several hundred wealthy would-be citizen astronauts already having booked reservations, priced at around $250,000 per ticket.    The Swiss-based investment bank UBS has estimated the potential value of the space tourism market reaching $3 billion annually by 2030.