The British billionaire teamed up with renowned aviation designer Burt Rutan to build the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, which could be venturing beyond Earth's atmosphere as early 2011.
Sir Richard and his family - including his 92-year-old father - will be on the first flight, the entrepreneur said.
Others booked for a trip to the stars include physicist Stephen Hawking and environmental scientist James Lovelock.
The vessel is based on Rutan's prototype SpaceShipOne. In 2004, the stubby white rocket won the 10 million dollar (£6 million) Ansari X prize after becoming the first privately manned craft to reach space.
Its successor is twice as large and has more windows to enable greater views of Earth as seen from its furthest reaches.
To date the only people who have enjoyed such a view have been the few hundred government-sponsored astronauts and a handful of super-rich star-gazers willing to part with a small fortune for a seat on board a Russian rocket destined for space.
SpaceShipTwo has enough space for six passengers and two pilots.
It is believed that some 300 clients have already paid the 200,000 dollar (£121,500) ticket or put down a deposit for a seat.
Speaking from the Mojave Desert in California, where the vessel has been developed, Sir Richard said: "I have been dreaming about it ever since the Moon landing - that one day I would get the chance to go into space. Nasa, I suppose, didn't think that you or me would like to go into space.

Interseting.

Looking forward to seeing how this evolves.

Any source?

Interesting!!!

I love this man and I believe one 1 day i'll be like him

SHALOM

chaircover:

I shake like a leaf flying from London to Lagos, so I will be "passing" on flying to space even if I had a free ticket. Thanks but no thanks

@ chaircover, hahhhahahahaa, ow bowt me givin u a free 1st class ticket to Auckland

chaircover:

Thanks but no thanks to your offer

If I could drive to Nigeria sef, I would. The only reason why I choose direct flights to Nigeria is becuse I have to take off and land only once

I always make sure that I buy Baileys at duty fee so I can take swigs during the flight to calm my nerves & catch some sleep and am drunk as a skunk by the time we land spending the next day in bed with a nasty headache

Hahaha. . . Honestly u are a character, i love Baileys, though free duty is not really cheap, its even cheaper in morrison.

@ chaircover, dts Bleep!n funny. Wats D farthest distance u ve ever travelled by air?

chaircover:

Its cheaper in tescos et al[b] but they won't let me lug a 1 litre bottle through airport security with this 100 ml max liquid law [/b] so I have no choice but to buy it after I pass through security

Yea, its a prob, the last time i was traveling to hong kong i had to bin my mouth wash and body cream at the airport cos i 4got abt the 100 ml law and had to buy the so called duty free.

I'm with Chaircover on this one.

I will definitely pass on this one.

Any kind of Air travel scares me shitless. I took some tablets to knock me out when i last flew to Nigeria.

@ Chaircover, don't worry Branson isn't going to hassle you on this one.

ehn! You fit give Branson make dem forget you for space, i'm sure the place is not so bad for people to pay that much .