DETROIT- The CEO of the world’s first commercial spaceline will speak Wednesday in Detroit

George Whitesides, who also serves as chairman of Virgin Galactic, is scheduled to speak any minute now at the Society of Automotive Engineers 2013 World Congress at Detroit's Cobo Center.

Virgin Galactic was founded by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson in 2004 to offer private trips to space for paying passengers. The company's SpaceShipTwo vehicles and their giant WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft were developed by the Mojave, Calif.-based company Scaled Composites.

The company has not released an expected date for a powered test flight.

A seat on board a SpaceShipTwo flight costs $200,000. More than 550 people have put down deposits to reserve a spot, company officials say.

The

started Tuesday at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. The annual three-day conference attracts thousands of automotive and technology experts and executives.

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