London to Sydney in 2 hours: spaceship to jet round the world by 2030

PA

A Formula One mogul has set up a project to rival Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic - and make every city in the world accessible within two hours.

At £60,000, tickets would cost half the price of Branson's space flight, and 35 people have reportedly already signed up for missions, which would take off from the Caribbean island of Curacao.

Space Expedition Curacao is the brainchild of Michiel Mol, the co-owner of the Force India Formua 1 racing team, who has paired up with Dutch airline KLM for the project.

They expect to have scheduled commercial space journeys under way within 15 to 20 years.

Dutch millionaire Mr Mol, 42, told the Daily Mail: 'Being able to travel from London to Sydney in an hour and 45 minutes, that is the future.'

Mol added that the spaceship will be able to fly at 14,000mph, and his website describes how it will break through the sound barrier within a minute, reaching 62 miles high before gliding back to earth in an hour-long flight.

Businessman Anton Kriel, who appeared on the TV show Million Dollar Traders, is thought to be the first Briton to buy a ticket.