Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Granted Unprecedented Space Tourism License

Richard Branson's space company, Virgin Galactic, has been granted an operating license to fly its passenger rocketship with the world's first paying space tourists aboard once final safety tests are completed, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday (August 1).

The unprecedented license covers all operations of Virgin Galactic's six-passenger, two-pilot SpaceShipTwo vehicle, including commercial passenger service, which according to FAA spokesman Hank Price is contingent on "certain terms and conditions" being met first.