UAE residents have bought tickets to space

Fancy a holiday? A trip to Thailand’s islands or maybe a walking tour of Rome? How about a little vacation to outer space?

A “handful” of UAE residents have booked just that – a 90-minute flight to outer space. Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, partly owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, has just begun selling tickets for their first flight for tourists.

@virgingalactic is looking to revolutionise human spaceflight with the world’s first commercial spaceport exhibited at the @DubaiAirshow, where a handful of UAE residents bought tickets with the aim to become space tourists next year. pic.twitter.com/k1Kp94euks

— Business Dubai (@BusinessDubai) November 18, 2019

Each ticket cost $250,000 and includes a spacesuit, one of which was displayed at Dubai Airshow, where the tickets were being sold. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, even signed the spacesuit during his visit to the event on Sunday.

Head of communications at Virgin Galactic Aleanna Crane spoke to Khaleej Times at the event, saying that over 600 customers from 60 countries (including the UAE) have already signed up for flights to space.