Washington (AFP)

Space tourism company Virgin Galactic estimated on Monday that it would be able to make a first tourist flight into space in the first quarter of 2021, with the dispatch of its founder Richard Branson.

In a press release, the billionaire's company specifies that it intends "to move to the next phase of its test flight program in the fall" with two manned flights.

"Assuming both flights bring the expected results, Virgin Galactic expects Sir Richard Branson's flight to take place in the first quarter of 2021," reads.

This first flight by the company, according to which 600 people have already bought their ticket to space for the sum of $ 250,000, would kick off commercial flights.

No precise date has yet been set by Virgin Galactic but its leaders recently assured that it was a matter of months, not years.

The development of the Virgin Galactic rocket ship, called SpaceShipTwo, was notably delayed by an accident in 2014 when a handling error by one of the two pilots had caused the aircraft to disintegrate in flight.

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