What does a $250,000 ticket to space with Virgin Galactic actually buy you?

All that's set to change as Richard Branson brings space exploration to the (mega-rich) masses.

In April, Virgin Galactic -- a subsidiary of Branson's Virgin Group -- hit a milestone. The rocket motor the company had been testing on the ground was fitted into SpaceShip Two, the spacecraft that, from next year onwards, will bring space travel to the general public.

"We lit the rocket motor for the first time in the air and the spaceship went through the sound barrier," recalls Stephen Attenborough, Virgin Galactic's commercial director.

"It was a hugely significant milestone for us, and in many ways, the last big piece of the jigsaw."

Though a ticket aboard SpaceShip Two doesn't come cheap -- a seat currently costs $250,000 -- Attenborough maintains that as things stand, the fare is a relative bargain.

"It's still about 1% of the price you would have needed to pay to go to space as a private citizen before now," maintains Attenborough. Indeed, in the past, the privilege cost civilians a fair share. When Dennis Tito, the world's first "space tourist" bought a seat aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2001, it allegedly cost him nearly $20 million.

Though flights won't commence until next year at the earliest, Virgin Galactic has already sold 640 seats to space enthusiasts the world over. For some, the cost is negligible. Others, though, have taken second mortgages on their homes to pay for the tickets.

So what does $250,000 buy you?

The experience starts with three days of training at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

"There's a lot to do with getting you psychologically prepared for a trip that is absolutely about sensory overload," says Attenborough.

The flight itself accommodates six passengers, lasts two and a half hours, and culminates with congratulatory champagne at the spaceport. Space travelers get to leave their seats to experience several minutes of zero-gravity, and perhaps the most iconic view ever afforded mankind.