British tycoon Richard Branson launched into space aboard the Virgin Galactic spacecraft. The long-awaited launch from Virgin Galactic’s American Spaceport in the New Mexico desert was slightly delayed due to bad weather.
The spacecraft, which carries Branson and five other astronauts, was dubbed Spaceflight Unity 22 and took the group to an altitude of approximately 85 kilometers, which the Federal Aviation Administration recognizes as the boundary of space, according to the Washington Post. A journey that lasted about 90 minutes. “It was the experience of a lifetime,” said Branson, who had been working on the development of the spacecraft for 17 years with his Virgin Galactic.
Branson has thus become the first entrepreneur to leave aboard his own flight into space, as part of a race for space tourism starring, among others, the billionaire Jeff Bezos, who on 20 July plans to leave with the New Shepard, the shuttle built by his company, Blue Origin.
The entrepreneur plans to sell space travel at a price of 250 thousand dollars. And, according to the Sunday Times, Tesla CEO Elon Musk would have bought a ticket for a future space trip organized by his rival. According to reports, Musk paid an advance of $ 10,000 to book a ticket. The date was not specified. Branson confirmed the news, adding that he could buy a ticket for a Musk SpaceX flight in the future. “Elon is a friend and maybe someday I’ll fly one of his spacecraft,” he said.