Brisbane is back in a nervous patch; Byron Bay Bluesfest came crashing down; and the plans of thousands of Easter holiday-makers have been turned on its head.
With border closures and quarantine rules turning on and off with the flick of a switch, there’s never been a more frustrating time to book travel.
However, there is one place, soon available for travel, that’s yet to see a single COVID case – space.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has unveiled its third-generation spaceship, the VSS Imagine. Donning a futuristic coat of reflective material, the spaceship aims to soar above skies from this summer onwards, leaving from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
Passengers of Virgin Galactic flights will experience space’s weightlessness for a few minutes and view Earth from outer space. With around 600 guests already booking the USD$250,000 flights, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber, it seems to be a logical destination for your next family holiday.
At this time, it is currently unclear as to whether your Service NSW dine and discover vouchers can be put towards this cost.
You will be sent 80 kilometres above the earth, making the 10,000 feet tandem skydive you did for your 21st birthday seem slightly less thrill seeking.
If you keep most of your travel research to the Earth’s atmosphere and aren’t aware of Virgin Galactic, it’s the world’s first commercial spaceline that is in the process of developing space vehicles to open space for the average person, or at least the average multi-millionaire.
Ground testing will begin straight away for the VSS Imagine, while meanwhile, the second generation model, the VSS Unity will be heading on its third spaceflight this May. Natural scepticism aside, the concept of flicking through legitimate flights to space is quite extraordinary.
Whether you have a financial warchest, have extreme faith in your currently unclaimed lottery ticket or simply enjoy dreaming of one day looking down on the Earth, it’s worth keeping an eye on Virgin Galactic’s movements.
If you can’t afford a flight, you can even treat yourself to a virtual reality exploration of the spaceship experience on their website. If you also can’t afford a virtual reality headset, even the images of the spacecraft can get your heartbeat heating up as you dream of sitting among the stars.
