Enterprising billionaire leads first space tourism trip, overtaking rival Bezos

Richard Branson’s rocket flight to the edge of space on Sunday will mark a return to the daring feats that first established the reputation of the arrogant billionaire.

For decades, Branson engaged in a series of record-breaking stunts as he parachuted 30 miles (48 km) between England and France.

He crossed the Atlantic by speedboat in just three days, then crossed the Pacific in a hot air balloon at speeds of up to 245 miles per hour.

His adventures drew huge publicity for his Virgin group companies, but he was often rescued by emergency services on several occasions.

And in a bid to be on the record list, Branson, the other billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is now embarking on the race for space tourism, where tomorrow, Sunday, he is expected to witness his rise in the world. first space tourism. travels through his own business, just 9 days before Bezos. , who is scheduled to take a trip to the frontier of space on July 20, also, using the Blue Origin spacecraft.

Branson has announced that he will be doing a test flight for Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. A week before he turns 71.

The decision to travel came after US approval. Virgin Galactic’s Federal Aviation Administration carries revenue passengers.

Fatal accident

Branson will fly aboard Virgin’s VSS Unity spacecraft, which flies in the air on the so-called mother plane, a journey that is expected to take around 90 minutes from takeoff to landing. After being launched from the carrier aircraft, the unit will ignite a rocket motor to propel it to an altitude of 88 kilometers above the ground.

Richard branson

The flight approaches the space line defined by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, known as the “Karman Line”, which is 100 kilometers from the Earth’s surface.

Branson, who was knighted in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II for “services to entrepreneurship,” is worth around $ 7.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

A spokesperson for the company said in December that more than 40 Virgin-branded companies generate approximately $ 22 billion in annual revenue through partnerships, affiliations and direct holdings.