Virgin Galactic aims to launch people into space in the future: Here's how

US space tourism venture Virgin Galactic has formed new partnerships with Italy's biggest aerospace companies, Altec and Sitael, to someday launch passengers into space.

The plan is to build a new passenger spaceplane and launch it from a future Grottaglie Spaceport in Italy, making Virgin Galactic the first such group to do so, The Verge reported. The company already has a spaceplane called VSS Unity which does not have a set date for passenger flights. However, hundreds of enthusiasts have deposited USD 250,000 for a ticket. 

Recently,  newly created Space Colony Research centre led by Japan's first female astronaut is bringing cutting-edge technology to bear on one of mankind's greatest questions: Can we live in space?

Tucked away in high-tech laboratories at the Tokyo University of Science, a team of 30 researchers directed by Chiaki Mukai are studying new ways to keep humans alive on a potential moon or Mars colony.

"It's in our nature to explore. The Earth is too small for us, don't you think?" asked Mukai, a petite and energetic 66-year-old who spent more than 500 hours in space on two separate missions. Human space exploration is entering a new era, said Mukai, with commercial ventures like Elon Musk's SpaceX and US President Donald Trump's pledge to explore beyond the moon and towards Mars.

Billionaire entrepreneur Musk has grand visions for private space exploration, including sending tourists into orbit around the moon and eventually colonising Mars.

With inputs from ANI