Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo crash threatens to crush space tourism dream: Passengers seek refund.
Virgin Galactic chief executive officer George Whitesides has revealed that about 24 people have already backed out to become the first tourists in space over safety concerns after SpaceShipTwo crashed last month resulting in the death of the spacecraft's co-pilot, Michael Alsbury.
Despite the hefty ticket price of $250,000 per seat, Virgin Galactic has managed to pull in 800 reservations with well-known names such as Stephen Hawking, Angelina Jolie and Leonardo diCaprio included in the company's list of "future astronauts." Despite delays, none of the passengers pulled out their chance to travel into suborbital space.
After the SpaceShipTwo crashed during a test flight on Oct.31, about two dozens of those who have already made reservations started to ask for refunds reflecting the serious implications of the incident on the fledgling space tourism industry despite optimism of some industry experts.
Whitesides said that it is not surprising that some of the passengers have asked for a refund but he remained optimistic of the outlook of space tourism and Richard Branson's company that aims to make space travel possible for everyday people.
"I think what is relevant is that the vast majority have said 'don't give up, keep going, we're with you," Whitesides said. "We didn't think we would have to go through this type of event but I have got a strong team and a team that knows we should open up space access as it is a deeply worthy goal."
On a positive note, it appears that the tragedy did not scare some of the company's prospective customers. Virgin Galactic's astronaut experience manager Clare Pelly has in fact revealed that two people have signed up for the space ride after the deadly crash.
Most of the company's reserved passengers also held on to their tickets and some even expressed support for Virgin Galactic and space tourism in general despite acknowledging the risks involved in space travel.
"We signed on because this is one of those dreams humans have had for centuries and centuries - going into space, going to the stars," said Derek Handley, one of the company's reserved passengers from New Zealand. "People know that when you're trying to do something like this, there are risks that you need to take. That's part of the program. Virgin Galactic has always stressed that safety was their No. 1 priority, and I think that's why the customers are still committed."
