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Michael Strahan -

'Good Morning America' host Michael Strahan was selected by Jeff Bezos to take part in a Blue Origin test flight in December of 2021. Jeff Bezos is in a media war with Elon Musk and Richard Branson to get the most attention for his aerospace company, so choosing to send one of the biggest hosts of the biggest morning shows in the US was a good tactic!

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William Shatner -

'Star Trek's' William Shatner was one of the first celebrities chosen to travel through space. The 90-year-old actor was given a spot on one of Blue Origin's sub-orbital capsules on October 9, 2021. The journey lasted 10 minutes and gave Shatner an incredible view of the Earth from space. "Everybody in the world needs to do this," he told Jeff Bezos after landing. "It was unbelievable."

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Jeff Bezos -

Bezos and his unusual crew took off for their test flight on July 11 in a reusable rocket called the New Shepard. He was accompanied by his brother, and both the oldest and youngest people ever to go into space. The 18-year-old Dutch student Oliver Daemen was the youngest, and 82-year-old Wally Funk was the oldest. Funk was an aviation pioneer who was rejected by NASA in the 1960s because their program only allowed men. Her lifelong dream was finally fulfilled in 2021. 

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Jeff Bezos -

The flight itself only lasted 10 minutes, but this was still long enough to fly the passengers to the edge of space, where they got to unbuckle and float for a few minutes before returning to Earth.

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Richard Branson -

The English business magnate and founder of the Virgin Group created Virgin Galactic, a project to send people to space as tourists. It has attracted over 600 paying customers, including A-listers, who want to take the ride.

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Virgin Galactic -

The seats are more than US$200,000 each, and the flight is said to be about two and a half hours, which includes around six minutes of weightlessness at the top. Branson himself decided to go on a flight before the rest of the passengers, a point he stressed after Virgin Galactic's test flight with SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave Desert on October 31, 2014.

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Branson's first flight -

On July 11, Branson successfully rocketed to the edge of space—around 53 miles (85 km) beyond the boundary of space—with his space tourism company Virgin Galactic, a voyage he described as the “experience of a lifetime.” This make him the first billionaire to make it to space, beating his space race competitor, Jeff Bezos. 

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It requires more than money -

According to Entrepreneur, the journey requires three days of pre-flight preparation, which includes team bonding and training onsite at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Passengers will learn to make the most of their six minutes in microgravity, and how to stay safe along the way, including in emergency situations.

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Rihanna -

Rihanna is known to be fascinated with extraterrestrial life, so it makes sense that she would hop at the chance to go up herself on Branson’s celebrity tourist ship and see what's up there.

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Tom Hanks -

Tom Hanks was reportedly one of the first to sign up for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, and in an interview with AMC he reportedly said that when it comes to space he'd "do it in a minute."

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Leonardo DiCaprio -

Back in 2013, Leonard DiCaprio bought himself a ticket for Virgin Galactic's rocket, and he reportedly auctioned off the seat next to his own for charity.

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Justin Bieber -

Justin Bieber once said if he could choose any other career he would probably be an astronaut, and in 2013 he bought a ticket for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo flight. Afterward, he said he'd love to do a music video in space.

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Scooter Braun -

Bieber’s manager, and infamous Taylor Swift enemy, Scooter Braun will also be flying up with Virgin Galactic.

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Kate Winslet -

Kate Winslet was reportedly gifted a free seat with Virgin Galactic because she once rescued Branson's mother from a fire at his resort on Necker Island. Either that, or because she's married to Ned Rocknroll, Branson's nephew who was also the space tourism company's head of marketing and astronaut experience.

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Russell Brand -

Before Russell Brand dumped Katy Perry quite unceremoniously, she had bought him a ticket on the Virgin Galactic for his 35th birthday. Perry reportedly said at the time that Brand is "always searching for what is beyond this world, and we both kind of have this same vision and are always looking for more."

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Katy Perry -

About a year later, it's said Perry bought a ticket for herself to go with Brand. Now that the two have split, however, there's no word on whether the exes will both be flying out.

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Lance Bass -

For much of his life, the former NSYNC member has been talking about wanting to go to space, and he almost did in 2002! The singer reportedly completed training and was scheduled to travel into space aboard a Russian Soyuz space capsule as part of a TV documentary. Unfortunately, the TV deal fell through, and Bass' sponsors backed out.

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James Cameron -

James Cameron may seem like he's getting a little old for space travel, but all his experience in small underwater crafts with limited oxygen and extreme pressure are sure to help. The director has reportedly already bought his ticket.

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Charlize Theron -

Charlize Theron has said she was prepared to travel with Virgin Galactic after her role in Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus.' According to Fox News, during an interview, she explained, “I’m totally open to going up into space. I’m sure it would be scary, but hopefully I’d just be going to see what it looks like, so I’d be coming back.”

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Michael Fassbender -

Theron's 'Prometheus' co-star also wants to visit the cosmos, and according to Fox News he said, “If I had the chance to go into space, I’d definitely take it."

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Brad Pitt -

Brad Pitt is reportedly another star who has bought his ticket and is ready to broaden his horizons.

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Angelina Jolie -

Angelina Jolie might be another star boarding a flight to space with her ex, as she reportedly also bought her ticket.

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Ashton Kutcher -

Ashton Kutcher bought his ticket to space way back in 2012, making him the 500th person to sign up at the time. He held onto that ticket for years, and it was rumored he also planned to buy one for his wife, Mila Kunis. However, the couple have now revealed that Kutcher decided to sell his ticket back! Kunis managed to convince him that taking the potentially risky flight into space wasn't the smartest thing for a father with young children. He agreed and gave up his spot for now, but hasn't ruled out investigating a little space tourism in the future. 

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Sarah Brightman and Andrew Lloyd Webber -

Now ex-spouses Sarah Brightman and Andrew Lloyd Webber reportedly collaborated on a song for Brightman to perform while in space with Virgin Galactic.

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Lady Gaga -

According to Entrepreneur, the pop singer didn’t have to pay for her ticket because she was asked by Virgin Galactic to come aboard and perform live on the aircraft, a show which would be streamed back to Earth in a pioneering performance.

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Elon Musk -

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is planning to send its first “all-civilian” crew to space at the end of 2021. It's been a dream of his to eventually make space travel accessible for all.

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David Beckham -

According to The Travel, David Beckham was approached by a number of major space travel firms. He apparently expressed great interest, though no word on if he’s gotten a ticket yet.

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Paris Hilton -

Paris Hilton has always been ahead of the curve, so it makes sense she’d want to be one of the first stars to travel to space.

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Peter Thiel -

Peter Thiel, the German-American billionaire entrepreneur who co-founded PayPal and was the first outside investor in Facebook, naturally had his eyes set on the next frontier. He reportedly bought his ticket and awaits news of departure like everyone else.

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Stephen Hawking -

The late Stephen Hawking was one of the few people offered a free spot on the Virgin Galactic. It was always a dream of his, but unfortunately he passed before it could come true.

Sources: (The Travel) (Fox News) (New York Daily News) (Forbes) (Entrepreneur) (Insider) (USA Today) (The Verge)

See also: Stephen Hawking's life in pictures

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