A Virgin Galactic passenger joked that he will have to wear diapers on Thursday's mission because the spaceship doesn't have toilets

• Jon Goodwin, an 80-year-old Olympian, joked about the conditions on his upcoming Virgin Galactic flight.
• "One thing the rocket ship doesn't have is a toilet" and passengers will have to wear diapers, he said.

A passenger on Virgin Galactic's first flight for paying space tourists joked about the conditions on the spaceship.

Jon Goodwin, an 80-year-old British Olympian, is due to be one of three private passengers on board Virgin Galactic's first-ever private commercial flight, which is expected to launch on Thursday.

Goodwin, who had been preparing for the flight, told Sky News that passengers would have limited bathroom options on the 90-minute flight.

"One thing the rocket ship doesn't have is a toilet, so we will be wearing nappies, which takes me back a bit," he said.

While the prospect might be unsettling to some, it's not unusual. Astronauts who need to wear their spacesuits for extended periods of time, such as during a launch, can be fitted with a "maximum absorbency garment" — essentially a diaper — to avoid having to go to the bathroom, per NASA.

The interior of Virgin Galactic's spaceship, the VSS Unity, is quite sparse, according to photos shared by the company.

The spaceship, which is due to soar to about 300,000 feet above the Earth's surface, is made up of pilot controls, seats for crew and passengers, and some scientific equipment, as was the case on the ship's first commercial flight that took place on June 28.

Windows pepper the ship's hull to offer passengers a view of the Earth as it falls back into its atmosphere.

Virgin Galactic's private commercial flight has been long awaited, with more than 800 people having purchased the firm's tickets.

Goodwin bought his ticket over 18 years ago, for $250,000.

The company, which is now selling its ticket for up to $450,000, plans to send tourists to space three times a month once its operations are up and running. This flight will be the first of these trips.