This is why Ashton Kutcher gave up his ticket to space after speaking with his wife Mila Kunis

Source: Reuters

Actor Ashton Kutcher was all set to be a part of the small group which would make up the first few people aboard Virgin Galatic's private spaceship. But that all changed when he met his wife and fellow actor, Mila Kunis.

According to the Two and A Half Men actor, while he made the choice to be a part of Virgin Galatic's next journey, Kutcher pulled out years ago after his wife told him it may not be the smartest family decision.

"When I got married and had kids, my wife basically encouraged (me) that it was not a smart family decision to be heading into space when we have young children. So I ended up selling my ticket back to Virgin Galactic," Kutcher told financial news streaming site Cheddar News in an interview on 15 July.

The actor reiterated that he will not be on the next flight. In 2012, Kutcher became the 500th person to buy a $200,000 ticket for Branson's space tourism venture, as per Richard Branson's blog at the time.

The swashbuckling entrepreneur Richard Branson hurtled into space aboard his own winged rocket ship Sunday in his boldest adventure yet, beating out fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos on July 11.

Branson, along with his five crewmates from his own Virgin Galactic space tourism company reached an altitude of about 53 miles (88 kilometers) over the New Mexico desert — enough to experience three to four minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth — and then safely glided home to a runway landing.

"At some point, I'm going to space," Kutcher was quoted as saying.

--With inputs from agencies.