Virgin Galactic to add to space fleet

Virgin Galactic, billionaire Richard Branson's space travel venture, plans to order five more spaceships and aims to turn a profit within five years of its commercial launch in 2010, a company official said this week.

Prospective space travelers have so far placed deposits totaling more than $31 million for tickets that cost $200,000 each and would give them five minutes in space, said Alex Tai, the company's group director.

"In the short term, we have firm orders for five spaceships and options for seven. . . . We believe there is a very strong market," Tai said Thursday in an interview at the Singapore Airshow.

Read full story at The Los Angeles Times.