During the interview, Professor Hawking said that he'd never dreamed he'd be able to head into space. But Virgin owner "Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately", he added.
Richard Branson's spaceflight company, Virgin Galactic, hopes soon to carry people into space on commercial missions. Mr. Branson had suggested that he might be able to complete a flight in 2009, but the plan was shelved due to a range of problems and disasters.
In a wide-ranging interview, Hawking who is the author of several books on Physics and Cosmology and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge, said that his "three children have brought me great joy - and I can tell you what will make me happy, to travel in space".