Virgin unveils SpaceShipTwo for tourists who want out-of-this-world experience

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo (center) slung beneath White Knight Two, the twin-fuselage mothership that will carry SpaceShipTwo to launch altitude, on December 7, 2009 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. Photograph: Robyn Beck/guardian.co.uk

An artist's impression of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo as it is released from its mothership WhiteknightTwo is pictured in this undated handout photograph from Virgin Galactic. Photograph: HO/guardian.co.uk

SpaceShipTwo is shown under construction at the Scaled Composites facility in Mojave Photograph: HO/guardian.co.uk

An interior view of SpaceShipTwo's cabin is shown under construction at the Scaled Composites facility in Mojave, California in this 2009 publicity photograph. Photograph: HO/guardian.co.uk

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, named VSS Enterprise at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave Photograph: Robyn Beck/guardian.co.uk

Sir Richard Branson (R) shows off a Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, slung beneath White Knight Two, the twin-fuselage mothership that will carry SpaceShipTwo to launch altitude, Photograph: Robyn Beck/guardian.co.uk

Sir Richard Branson speaks to AFP during an interview before the official unveiling of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, the world's first commercial manned spacecraft, at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave Photograph: Robyn Beck/guardian.co.uk

A journalist photographs Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, on December at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave Photograph: Robyn Beck/guardian.co.uk

Handout picture released by Virgin Galactic shows SpaceShipTwo resting under the Mothership WhiteKnight2 inside a hangar in Mojave, California, USA. Photograph: Mark Greenberg /guardian.co.uk