Virgin Galactic plans to take its first non-astronaut into space later this year, while other private space companies make advancements of their own.

According to the Associated Press, Virgin Group founder and CEO Richard Branson said commercial space flights may begin by the end of the year. Virgin Galactic's flights will cost $200,000 to go about 60 miles above Earth, where customers will have a breathtaking view of our planet a few minutes of weightlessness. The company has already pre-sold more than 600 tickets.

What governments have already exclusively operated may now be headed for a boom in privatization. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences have already flown multiple cargo missions to restock the International Space Station. Both companies have also expressed interest in taking non-astronauts into space.

What's more is celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio have bought tickets to take a trip into space, which already act as an endorsement.

"Imagine doubling the number of people who have been in space in 50 years in a couple of years," Michael Lopez-Alegria, four-time astronaut and Commercial Spaceflight Federation head, told the Houston Chronicle. "That's great, and I think that that will energize people."

He said unmanned commercial flights run smoothly by SpaceX and Orbital have also helped ease governmental worry over commercial space trips carrying non-astronauts.

"There are a lot fewer skeptics out there," he said. "You can't argue with success. I think that those two companies doing what they have done has been fundamental to what has been a sea change in the perception of commercial space."

Branson wrote in a blog post about training future astronauts on weightlessness. He said the experience is informative and scientific, but also fun.

"The most incredible thing about the Zero-G flight is lying flat on the ground in the plane, slowly finding your body lifting and then levitating all the way up until you hit the top of the plane. You literally had to peel us off the ceiling!" he wrote. "As you get more confident, you can do loops, float around and have the kind of fun that causes the priceless looks on our faces in the photos!"