Virgin Galactic, the space travel company, announced today that it has won two seats for a space trip: a 44-year-old woman living in Antigua and Barbuda who has purchased these tickets, which currently sell for $ 450,000, thanks to in a draw.
Keisa Sahaf decided to travel with her 17-year-old daughter, a British-educated science student who dreamed of working for Nasa.
The news was announced personally by the founder of Virgin Galactic, who visited her at her home in Antigua and Barbuda in early November.
“I thought we would talk on Zoom,” Keisa Sahaf told AFP. “When I saw Richard Branson coming in, I started shouting! I could not believe it”.
“When I was little, space always fascinated me,” he added. “It’s a unique opportunity for me to feel alive.”
Keisa Sahaf won the award by participating in a $ 1.7 million fundraising initiative organized by Virgin Galactic on the Omaze platform. The money will be given to the non-governmental organization Space for Humanity, which works for greater access to space.
The amount of money offered by the 44-year-old has not been revealed, but the donations started at $ 10. The whole initiative attracted nearly 165,000 participants over an 8-week period, Virgin Galactic announced in a press release.
“The ability to give people of all ages and backgrounds equal access to space and, in return, the opportunity to inspire and guide others once they return to Earth is what Virgin Galactic has been striving for for two decades.” , said the British Richard Branson, according to the press release.
Keisa Sahaf will be among the “first astronauts” of Virgin Galactic, but her position in the queue has not been determined yet, according to a company spokeswoman.
Virgin Galactic has already sold about 700 tickets for the period: 600 between 2005 and 2014 and 100 since August, when they went on sale for $ 450,000.
The goal is to sell a total of 1,000, before the start of commercial flights, the first of which is expected in the fourth quarter of 2022.
.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
