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First Finn Buys Ticket into Space

Finland’s first space tourist has booked a flight on Virgin Galactic’s commercial spacecraft. The traveller shelled out some 140,000 euros for the ticket into space.

Virgin Galacticin avaruuslennoilla käyttämä kone
Image: Ned RocknRoll / Virgin Galactic / EPA

Virgin Galactic has already sold trips to some 300 fledgling astronauts around the world, says Area, the company’s sales agent in Finland. The tourist spaceship is scheduled to begin test flights next year.

The company's commercial spaceflights depart from New Mexico in the United States and Kiruna in Sweden.

During the two-hour flight astronauts get a glimpse of space at 115 kilometres above earth and experience weightlessness for five minutes.

Confidentiality clauses prevent Area from releasing the identity of the Finnish space tourist.

Sources: YLE