COOL YULE: Branson says Virgin Galactic will send people to space before Christmas.

The billionaire said he is “pretty confident” the space tourism venture he co-founded can achieve this milestone by the end of the year in a Nov. 30 interview with CNN Business.

“We have a brilliant group of astronauts who literally believe 100% in the project, and give it their everything,” he said.

The entrepreneur said that the first few trips into space will be flown by test pilots with no tourists on board. He’ll be the first passenger, he added.

Still, several people are ready to pony up $200,000 to $250,000 for a seat on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

“I’m not allowed up until the [test pilots] have broken it in a few times, first,” Branson told the business news network. “I would love to have gone on this very [first] flight, but [pilots] are incredibly brave people.”

Godspeed.