Sir Richard Branson has named the date he’ll fly to the edge of space. It will be on 11 July, or very soon after.
Sir Richard Branson will be a passenger in the back of the Unity rocket plane that his Virgin Galactic company has been developing in the US for the better part of two decades.
“I’ve always been a dreamer. My mum taught me to never give up and to reach for the stars. On July 11, it’s time to turn that dream into a reality aboard the next @virgingalactic spaceflight #Unity22,” he said on his Instagram page.
The Unity rocket plane can climb to an altitude of 90 km. Those on board will be able to have a fabulous view of earth.
According to the BBC, Branson’s intention is to introduce a commercial spaceflight service. Approximately 600 individuals have already lodged deposits to take the ride.
Witnessing the British entrepreneur do it means those customers are now extremely close to having to hand over the full ticket price, which in some cases will be $250 000.
Sir Richard Branson said, “I truly believe that space belongs to all of us. After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the Universe to humankind and change the world for good.
“It’s one thing to have a dream of making space more accessible to all; it’s another for an incredible team to collectively turn that dream into reality.”
The key to Virgin Galactic being able to move forward with its business was the granting last week of a commercial spaceflight license by the Federal Aviation Administration.
If the Galactic team are able to go ahead with the mission on 11 July, it would mean that Sir Richard Branson is stealing a march on his rival in sub-orbital space tourism, fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Jeff Bezos, founder of the online retail empire Amazon, has sunk a fortune into his hobby of building rockets and has announced his own trip to the edge of space on 20 July.
Source: BBC
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