Billionaire Richard Branson Soars to Space Aboard His Own Rocket Plane

Billionaire Richard Branson Soars to Space Aboard His Own Rocket Plane
In a still image from video, Billionaire Richard Branson smiles on board Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity before starting its untethered ascent to the edge of space above Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, N.M., on July 11, 2021. Virgin Galactic/Handout via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M.—British billionaire Richard Branson on Sunday soared more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert aboard his Virgin Galactic rocket plane and safely returned in the vehicle’s first fully crewed test flight to space, a symbolic milestone for a venture he started 17 years ago.

Branson, one of six Virgin Galactic Holding Inc employees strapped in for the ride, has touted the mission as a precursor to a new era of space tourism, with the company he founded in 2004 poised to begin commercial operations next year.