Branson aims to make space trip on July 11, ahead of Bezos

Tiger Newspress2021-07-02

Virgin Galactic stock surged 37% in premarket trading.

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson will travel to the edge of space on Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc's test flight on July 11, Branson's space tourism firm said on Thursday, beating out fellow aspiring billionaire astronaut Jeff Bezos.

A successful flight by Branson aboard Virgin's VSS Unity spaceplane would mark a key milestone in a race to usher in a new era of private commercial space travel.

It would also mean that Branson would travel beyond Earth's atmosphere ahead of Bezos, the founder of rival space tourism venture Blue Origin.

Bezos, who founded retail giant Amazon.com Inc, is slated to fly to space on July 20 along with his brother, Mark, trailblazing female pilot Wally Funk and a so-far unidentified person who plunked down $28 million to join the suborbital joyride.

Reuters reported last month that Branson was considering a show-stealing mission just days ahead of Bezos' planned trip.

The race, which also includes SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, is underpinned by optimism that space travel will become mainstream as nascent technology is proven and costs fall, fueling what UBS estimates could be a $3 billion annual tourism market by 2030. Musk has not set a date for his space flight.

"Virgin Galactic stands at the vanguard of a new commercial space industry, which is set to open space to humankind and change the world for good," Branson said in a statement accompanying Virgin's announcement.

Branson's July 11 mission will be the twenty-second flight test for VSS Unity, and the company's fourth crewed spaceflight, Virgin said.

But it will be the first to carry a full crew of two pilots and four "mission specialists," including Branson.

Two additional test flights are planned before Virgin expects to begin commercial service in 2022, Virgin said.

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精彩评论

  • Wallstrtbets
    2021-07-03
    Wallstrtbets
    Omg!
  • DAbidin
    2021-07-02
    DAbidin
    What is the big deal here?? The company has no rev maybe little, no profit.. and what kind of growth ?? Really questionable 
  • Blueman13
    2021-07-02
    Blueman13
    Life is too cheap playing it
  • StockWatcher
    2021-07-02
    StockWatcher
    Another Tesla in the making
  • HandsomeLee
    2021-07-02
    HandsomeLee
    I waited for this day long enough
  • Pinkmartini
    2021-07-02
    Pinkmartini
    The future travel
    • HandsomeLee
      we just need to be patient. 15 years ago, no one can imagine video chatting with another person across the globe.
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