Billionaire Richard Branson's spaceship company Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc said on Friday it received an approval from the U.S. aviation safety regulator to fly people to space, following a successful test flight last month.

Virgin Galactic completed its first manned space flight from its new home port in New Mexico in May, as its SpaceShipTwo craft, which can hold six passengers, glided to a landing on a runway safely with its two pilots.

  - Reuters