Ashton Kutcher Is Heading To Space, Buys 500th Virgin Galactic Ticket

Ashton Kutcher is heading to space. The “Two and a Half Men” star just purchased a ticket aboard Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceships.

Branson said that Kutcher was the 500th person to buy a ticket. Branson writes on his blog:

“Great news today news from our Astronaut Relations team at Virgin Galactic: our 500th future astronaut customer has just signed up! Even better news is that number 500 is Ashton Kutcher. I gave Ashton a quick call to congratulate and welcome him. He is as thrilled as we are at the prospect of being among the first to cross the final frontier (and back!) with us and to experience the magic of space for himself.”

MSNBC reports that a ride on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane costs $200,000. Kutcher won’t be the only celebrity heading to space. Branson has already given Stephen Hawking a free ticket to space. Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jay-Z and Beyonce are also rumored to be on the passenger list.

Here’s a video of one of Branson’s spacecrafts.

Branson writes:

“As you can see from the video, our spaceships are not only very beautiful but are built and flying in the final stages of our exhaustive test flight program. We are guided by safety and so will ensure that everything is just as safe as it can possibly be before we start commercial services – particularly as I will be on the first commercial flight with my kids!”

So when will Kutcher get to fly into outer space? According to MSNC, rocket powered test flights are expected to begin this year. Branson said that he hopes to bring his family on a test ride this Christmas which means that commercial flights could start as early as next year.