Virgin Mobile has sent texting to a completely new level with the announcement last week that it is launching a service whereby users will be able to send texts “into space”. This has led to a whole host of predictable headlines hitting the press, including “It’s one small text for man” and “SMS boldly goes…”. However, if people are wondering why exactly they would want to spend ten of their earth pounds to send a message out into the vast nothingness of space, they could well be forgiven.

Perhaps this is a service designed for those of us who are already convinced that there is life out there just waiting to receive the wisdom that thousands of Virgin Mobile users have to share. Who knows what they could learn from us?

The more cynical amongst us may just believe that it is a publicity-seeking stunt (by Virgin? Surely not!) that is sure to rack up the company’s sales as Christmas approaches.

The service has been organised through SentForever.com, and Virgin has claimed that when a text is sent it will live up to this name and “live on eternally”.

As proof that your text has not just been stored in some giant database but is actually heading out into the far regions of the cosmos, users are provided with the option of buying a certificate of transmission for £9.95, as well as the chance to follow the progress of the text on the SentForever.com website.

However, if you trust that your text has been sent out into the far reaches of the galaxy, it will only cost the price of a standard text, and you will be left to imagine what advanced civilisations will be picking it up millions of years down the line.