Now reserve a seat on Virgin Galactic with Bitcoins


The Bitcoin story keeps getting better! And any of those few who still believe the virtual currency is nothing but hype, the latest news might alter their perception. Sir Richard Branson announced that his commercial space flight venture, Virgin Galactic, will accept Bitcoin as a payment in exchange for a ride into space. “Virgin Galactic is a company looking into the future, so is Bitcoin, so it makes sense we would offer Bitcoin as a way to pay for your journey to space,” Branson said in a blog post for the company. He also announced that a female flight attendant from Hawaii is the first to purchase a Virgin Galactic ticket using Bitcoin.

Sir Richard Branson is not only a firm believer in the Bitcoin story but has also invested in it himself. This move will only boost the virtual currency, which has already had a spectacular run in recent months, gaining almost 500 percent value against the US dollar. Its value has also tremendously benefitted from growing support from investors worldwide. Flights on Virgin Galactic have to be pre-booked for $250,000 with a provision of canceling it up to three months before departure. Bitcoin topped an exchange rate of $700 on the MT Gox exchange. Branson said that payments would be transferred into US dollars to establish a fixed price in case the customer requests a refund.

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The English billionaire industrialist has been smitten to space odyssey since he was 19 and watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step onto the moon. His Virgin Galactic venture took off in 2004 and is pegged to become the first commercial aircraft to take civilians into space. The six-passenger SpaceShipTwo is undergoing trials and will make its maiden flight in 2014. Check out the infographic on the Virgin Galactic after the jump, it brilliantly sums up the venture in numbers.

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[Via – The-Guardian]

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Sayan Chakravarty, a Senior Writer at Luxurylaunches, brings over 10 years of automotive journalism expertise. He provides insightful coverage of the latest cars and motorcycles across American and European markets, while also highlighting luxury yachts, high-end watches, and gadgets. An authentic automobile aficionado, his commitment shines through in educating readers about the automotive world. When the keyboard rests, Sayan feeds his wanderlust, traversing the world on his motorcycle.