Virgin announces free space flight for person with most air miles

PA

Richard Branson has announced that the Virgin customer who accumulates the most air miles in the next year will be awarded with a free flight on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

The runner-up will be given a free zero-gravity flight aboard a modified aeroplane on earth.

Virgin Galactic, which has carried out a number of successful test flights on SpaceShipTwo, has not yet taken any tourists into space.

However, there are plans to operate sub-orbital flights to just outside the earth's atmosphere - and over 500 people have already paid £12,000 deposits to secure seats on the £126,000 trip of a lifetime.

The Daily Mail reports that the space craft, which is designed to carry six passengers, is launched midair from another carrier.

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved tests for 'powered flight' by the end of this year - it has already successfully completed 'gliding' tests.

Frequent fliers have until August 7, 2013 to collect their air miles - and the lucky winner is guaranteed to have an out-of-this-world experience.

Click on the image below to see some amazing photographs from space...

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