Ashton Kutcher returned his Virgin Galactic ticket to space
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Ashton Kutcher had a ticket onboard Virgin Galactic’s space ship, but the actor revealed he will not be making the trip after all. In an interview with Cheddar this week, Kutcher said his wife, Mila Kunis, talked him out of it.
“When I got married and had kids, my wife encouraged that it was not a smart family decision to be heading into space when we have young children,” Kutcher said.
The actors, who starred alongside each other on “That 70’s Show,” have two children – Wyatt, 6, and Dimitri, 4. But Kutcher bought his ticket before he and Kunis even married in 2015.
In 2012, the actor became the 500th customer to sign up for the Virgin Galactic space flight. Kutcher told Cheddar Wednesday that he sold his ticket back to the company.
Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson completed a test flight into space on Sunday. Branson and five crewmembers reached an altitude just above 50 miles, to demonstrate that his company’s air-launched spaceplane is ready for passengers.
The company is planning two more test flights and hopes to begin launching paying customers in early 2022. The tickets will be $250,000 or more per seat, company officials say.
While Kutcher might have given up his Virgin Galactic ticket, space travel may be in the 43-year-old’s future. “I will not be on the next flight, but at some point, I’m going to space,” Kutcher told Cheddar.
Several other celebrities have vowed to be early commercial space travelers. Leonardio DiCaprio also plans on taking a Virgin Galactic space flight – and a chance to go along with him was auctioned off during the Cannes Film festival in 2013.
Branson recently announced another sweepstakes, this one benefitting Space for Humanity, an organization that sends civilian leaders to space “to help expand access for all humanity.” Branson said two winners will be selected to join one of the initial commercial flights.