The news comes on the heels of Richard Branson's jaunt to the edge of space.

Virgin Galactic said Friday that it had received Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly humans to space.

Private space exploration company Virgin Galactic announced it scored a deal with NASA to train private astronauts for spaceflight.

Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to fly tourists to the edge of space within a year, company executives said on Tuesday.