Christer Fuglesang says hello from space.

• Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang - profile

The BBC said that the US may be the home for Sir Richard Branson's space tourism venture Virgin Galactic. But he may already be looking for a European base.

There is one European country in particular that is trying to get a jump on the rest of the pack. It already has a functioning spaceport - Sweden.

"There are a few places in the world trying to establish this but none has come as far as we have," Karin Nilsdotter, chief executive officer of Spaceport Sweden, told BBC.

"We also want to build on our existing infrastructure and tourism and business we have here.

"Spaceport Sweden wants to offer you and me the opportunity to go into space but already now we are offering space adventures."

But there are more European countries fighting to win the race. The UK wants the place of expansion to be in Scotland. 

Forecasts say by 2020, 20,000 people per year will be flying in to space and cost will come down considerably.

Virgin hopes to be transporting paying customers into space in late 2013.