"Like a Dying Star..." 80-Year-Old American Gives Up on Space Tourism After 15 Years of Waiting

Purchased Space Tourism Ticket for 230 Million Won in 2007, Then Refunded
'First Private Space Travel' Record Virgin Galactic Faces Repeated Commercial Flight Delays
800 Tickets Sold... Current Spacecraft Fare Rises to Up to $450,000

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] An American man in his 80s who bought a commercial space tourism ticket 15 years ago dreaming of space travel has refunded his ticket, saying he can no longer wait.

Virgin Galactic, a space development company under the Virgin Group, is the company that set the record for the "first private space travel." However, Virgin Galactic has delayed the start of its commercial flight service for years, frustrating many who purchased space travel tickets.

According to Chicago media on the 15th (local time), Bulgarian businessman Shefke Chapazev (84), who lives in Elk Grove Village, a suburb of Chicago, purchased a commercial spacecraft ticket from Virgin Galactic in 2007 for $175,000 (about 230 million KRW).

Chapazev said, "Last July, I saw Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson and five others board the spacecraft, ascend to 53 miles (about 88 km) altitude, experience 3 to 4 minutes of weightlessness, and return, but my 'spaceflight dream' felt like a dying star, growing more distant, so I requested a refund." He added, "It has already been 15 years since I bought the ticket. I kept believing and waiting every time they said 'next year, next year' or 'please wait a little longer,' but now I am tired."

During the 15 years Chapazev waited for the start of commercial space tourism service, Virgin Galactic sent gifts such as keychains with the company logo and space jackets, and kept him updated with numerous emails. However, he said, "What I wanted was just one thing: to erase space travel from my bucket list." He added, "They said they could not guarantee my spaceflight even next year. My health is not as good as before." He revealed that Virgin Galactic refunded his payment minus 10%.

Chapazev said, "Although my dream of going to space could not be realized, I am a happy person," and added, "I traveled all over the world on the supersonic passenger plane Concorde without missing any place." He continued, "Above all, I now have a two-year-old granddaughter and am waiting for another grandchild to be born. That is what brings me the greatest happiness now."

Virgin Group, owned by British billionaire Richard Branson (72), established Virgin Galactic in 2004 to provide the general public with the experience of weightlessness at the edge of space and the view of the blue, round Earth.

The initial service launch was planned for 2009 but did not proceed as scheduled. In 2014, during the first test flight, the spacecraft crashed, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another, and test flights were suspended until 2016.

Test flights resumed in May last year, and on July 11, just two months later, Branson and five others completed a successful flight. However, the start of commercial flights, postponed to the fourth quarter of this year, was delayed again to after the second quarter of next year. Chapazev said he briefly had new hope after Branson's flight, but that hope soon disappeared.

A Virgin Galactic spokesperson said, "About 800 tickets have already been sold." They did not disclose how many customers requested refunds out of frustration while waiting. Currently, the spacecraft ticket price has been raised to up to $450,000 (about 590 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.