The world is edging closer and closer to a time when travel beyond the confines of the planet is possible. Space tourist is getting a boost with the unveiling of Virgin Galactic's new spaceship at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California.

"Together, we can make space accessible in a way that has only been dreamt of before now, and by doing so can bring positive change to life on Earth," Richard Branson said. "Our beautiful new spaceship, VSS Unity, is the embodiment of that goal also great testament to what can be achieved when true teamwork, great skill and deep pride are combined with a common purpose."

Even Stephen Hawking sounded off on the achievement, naming the ship Virgin Spaceship (VSS) Unity. The famed physicist even recorded a special message to mark the milestone, saying that he would be very proud to experience flight on the new spacecraft.

Hawking also told Virgin Galactic, "We are entering a new space age, and I hope this will help to create a new unity."

The construction of the new spacecraft took three whole years to complete and is the first aircraft created by Virgin Galactic's own manufacturing arm The Spaceship Company. The VSS Unity is a great accomplishment for the commercial airline company that has been working to be the first major group to bring space tourism to life.

This new spaceship is a replacement for SpaceShipTwo, which crashed during a test flight in 2014 and killed one pilot. Although the tragedy dealt a blow to the program, it also led to the company becoming more cautious with the operations in the VSS Unity. Technological innovations to the ship, like the feather inhibitor, have been made to ensure the 2014 accident will not happen again.

The testing period for the spaceship will reportedly extensive with ground, glide and rocket-powered tests, after which it will be able to take tourists up to 50 miles above the surface of the planet. Despite the hefty $250,000 price tag on a trip, over 700 people had already signed on for the Virgin Galactic experience.

"One of the things that I think is most powerful is that we'll be able to get a new perspective on our planet as hundreds and eventually millions of people are able to go into space," CEO George Whitesides explained.

Virgin Galactic has not yet revealed the dates of the first passenger flights.