Following the successful solo flight of Virgin Galactic’s spaceship over the Mojave Desert two weeks ago, the project to get commercial passengers to the edge of space is now celebrating the opening of its runway. The two mile long strip has been built at the Virgin Galactic spaceport in New Mexico.

To celebrate its completion, there was a flypast by White Knight Two, the aircraft designed to carry SpaceShip Two up to its launch altitude. The jet powered plane made a number of passes before landing safely. Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire behind the project, said the dream was starting to become more like reality.

Sir Richard added that he expected the first passengers to be completing their journey to the edge of space within the next eighteen months. Already, more than 300 customers have paid the £128,000 it will cost to experience a few minutes weightlessness. The round trip to a sub-orbital altitude will take around three hours in total.

Talking about the successful drop of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft a fortnight ago, Sir Richard said he thought people would start to sit up and pay attention. The VSS Enterprise spaceship was carried to 45,000 feet above the Mojave and released by its mothership.

Two pilots then successfully brought the spaceship back to earth in a trip which lasted around 25 minutes. Sir Richard described the event as one of the most thrilling moments in the history of Virgin. The next major step will be the firing of the spaceship’s rocket engine.