TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M – British billionaire Richard Branson on Sunday (July 11) 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, 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.<img alt="" data-caption="Billionaire Richard Branson makes a statement as crew members Beth Moses and Sirisha Bandla float in zero gravity on board Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity after reaching the edge of space above Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters via Virgin Galactic” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”a96c3822-020d-4f6a-b472-ee807243d087″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/OOSVAEUQ45NUTMJ7LQ2ECBDQ5Y_2.jpg”/>
Virgin Galactic’s Space Rocket Shines Across Truth or Consequences
Branson’s Big Leap
“We’re here to make space more accessible to all,” Caveman Jeff Branson—yes, the 70‑year‑old charismatic ruler of a flying company—announced with the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect after a grandchild‑hugging ceremony. “Welcome to the dawn of a new space age.”
Bezos Grabs a Piece of the Cosmos
In the backstage fight of the century, fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos chimed in through Instagram—well, a post, not a hackathon: “Congratulations on the flight. Can’t wait to join the club!” The rivalry is as lively as a family reunion, but this time with rockets soaring above the clouds.
The Grand Arrival
- The star‑studded gathering snared space execs, future “cosmictons” and a band of eager fans to witness the launch.
- Over the buzz of a mid‑night slot comedian Stephen Colbert narrated the launch, turning the livestream into a comedy‑spectacle.
- Elon Musk (also the electric‑car wizard behind Tesla) was there, sipping coffee and nodding solemnly at the space‑race.
- Khalid, Grammy‑hopeful R&B voice, dropped a teaser for his next single, “New Normal,” after the rocket cleared the atmosphere.
VSS Unity Takes the Stage
The sleek, white spaceplane’s ascent began as a furry plume from the VMS Eve—a twin‑fuse jet named after Branson’s late mother—out of Spaceport America (a state‑run pad beside the town of Truth or Consequences). Virgin Galactic has a front‑row lease on the facility’s grand stage.
At 46,000 feet, the VSS Unity rapped free from the mothership and, after a quick burn of its rocket engine, shot up at supersonic speed. In a blink, it pierced into the blackness at an altitude of around 53 miles (86 km) – essentially a majestic RSVP to the stars.
What Makes This Moment Memorable?
Beyond the technical triumph, this flight packed a punch of family warmth, competitive spirit, and pop‑culture flair. If you missed the live feed, you missed a story where a whopping 70‑year‑old’s delight mixed with a billionaire’s banter, a comedian’s commentary, a singer’s melody, and a rocket’s roar. The verdict? Space just got a little less intimidating and a lot more fun.
<img alt="" data-caption="Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity, carrying billionaire Richard Branson and crew, starts its ascent to the edge of space above Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters via Virgin Galactic” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”6be72120-6114-4e21-851e-6b72b323df5c” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/Screenshot%202021-07-12%20102516.jpg”/>The spaceplane’s contrail was clearly visible from the ground as it soared through the upper atmosphere, to the cheers of the crowd below.
At the apex of the climb with the rocket shut down, the crew then experienced a few minutes of microgravity, before the spaceplane shifted into re-entry mode, and began a gliding descent to a runway back at the spaceport. The entire flight lasted about an hour.<img alt="" data-caption="Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity, carrying billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and his crew, descends after reaching the edge of space above Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”bc258367-274c-4c1c-9d62-8a6551889c01″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/QTVY26Z3I5OQTEDRU2QCNKEMH4.jpg”/>”I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I’m an adult in a spaceship looking down to our beautiful Earth,” Branson said in a video from space.
Back at a celebration with supporters from a stage outside Virgin Galactic’s Gateway to Space complex at the spaceport, he and crewmates doused one another with champagne.
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield pinned Virgin-produced astronaut wings onto the blue flight suits worn by Branson and his team. Official wing pins from the Federal Aviation Administration will be presented later, a company spokesman said.
High-cost tickets
Virgin Galactic has said it plans at least two further test flights of the spaceplane in the months ahead before beginning regular commercial operation in 2022. One of those flights will carry four Italian astronauts-in-training, according to company CEO Michael Colglazier.<img alt="" data-caption="Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity, borne by twin-fuselage carrier jet dubbed VMS Eve, takes off with billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and his crew for travel to the edge of space at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”63b82165-525c-40e1-8f7c-4dd425e78a2f” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/Screenshot%202021-07-12%20102630.jpg”/>He said 600 wealthy would-be citizen astronauts have also booked reservations, priced at around $250,000 (S$338,000) per ticket for the exhilaration of supersonic flight, weightlessness and the spectacle of spaceflight.
Branson has said he aims ultimately to lower the price to around $40,000 per seat as the company ramps up service, achieving greater economies of scale. Colglazier said he envisions eventually building a large enough fleet to accommodate roughly 400 flights annually at the spaceport.
The Swiss-based investment bank UBS has estimated the potential value of the space tourism market reaching $3 billion annually by 2030.
Proving rocket travel safe for the public is key.
An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California’s Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.
Space race
Branson’s participation in Sunday’s flight, announced just over a week ago, typified his persona as the daredevil executive whose various Virgin brands – from airlines to music companies – have long been associated with his ocean-crossing exploits in sailboats and hot-air balloons.
His ride-along also upstaged rival astro-tourism venture Blue Origin and its founder, Bezos, in what has been popularised as the “billionaire space race.” Bezos has been planning to fly aboard his own suborbital rocketship, the New Shepard, later this month.
Branson has insisted he and Bezos are friendly rivals and were not racing to beat one another into space.
“We wish Jeff the absolute best and that he will get up and enjoy his flight,” Branson said at a post-flight press conference.
Blue Origin, however, has disparaged Virgin Galactic as falling short of a true spaceflight experience, saying that unlike Unity, Bezos’s New Shepard tops the 62-mile-high-mark (100 km), called the Kármán line, set by an international aeronautics body as defining the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
“New Shepard was designed to fly above the Kármán line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name,” Blue Origin said in a series of Twitter posts on Friday.
However, US space agency NASA and the US Air Force both define an astronaut as anyone who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km).
A third player in the space tourism sector, Musk’s SpaceX, plans to send its first all-civilian crew (without Musk) into orbit in September, after having already launched numerous cargo payloads and astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.
The spaceplane’s two pilots were Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci. The three other mission specialists were Beth Moses, the company’s chief astronaut instructor; Virgin Galactic’s lead operations engineer Colin Bennett; and Sirisha Bandla, a research operations and government affairs vice president.
All recounted afterward being mesmerized by the view through Unity’s windows. Mackay described the immense blackness of space against the brightness of Earth’s surface, “separated by the beautiful blue atmosphere, which is very complex and very thin.”
“Cameras don’t do it justice,” he told reporters. “You have to see it with your own eyes.”
Space and cosmosspace explorationBillionaires/Millionaires
