Virgin Galactic has revealed a full-scale conceptual mock-up of the interior of its VSS Enterprise spaceship, which was designed to take tourists to space.

The conceptual interior of the new spaceship – modelled on Virgin’s SpaceShipOne craft and created by British product designers Seymourpowell – comprises two pilot seats and a six-seater passenger cabin featuring specially-designed seats which move from a 60 degree upright angle for take-off and flight to an almost-horizontal for free movement during zero gravity.

Passengers will be able to watch a cobalt blue sky turning mauve, indigo and eventually black from 15 windows, including floor windows for views of the earth.

The VSS Enterprise will take off from a runway to almost 10 miles above sea level before being released from its mother ship and accelerating to a speed faster than a bullet. The spaceship will return to the earth’s atmosphere in a shuttlecock formation before gliding onto a spaceport runway to land.

Galactic’s owner, Richard Branson, said: “We hope to create thousands of astronauts over the next few years and bring alive their dream of seeing the majestic beauty of our planet from above, the stars in all their glory and the amazing sensations of weightlessness and space flight. The development will also allow every country in the world to have their own astronauts rather than the privileged few.”

The VSS Enterprise was unveiled at the WIRED NextFest event in New York, US – a four-day festival of innovative products and technologies. Details: www.virgingalactic.com