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BRITISH billionaire Richard Branson soars more than 50 miles over the New Mexico desert on his Virgin Galactic rocket plane. This action was carried out on Sunday (7/11). In the first test flight of a fully manned vehicle into space, a symbolic milestone for the venture he started 17 years ago, Branson made his safe return.
Reuters reported that Branson had touted his mission as pioneering a new era of space tourism, with the company he founded in 2004 poised to start commercial operations next year.
“We’re here to make space more accessible to everyone. Welcome to the dawn of a new space era,” Branson said, shortly after hugging his grandson after the flight.
The flight’s success also gave Branson room to brag about his highly publicized rivalry with fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s online retail mogul. Bezos himself hopes to fly into space first on his own space company’s rocket.
“Congratulations on the flight. Can’t wait to join the club,” Bezos said on Instagram.
Space industry executives, future customers and other well-wishers attended the festive gathering to witness the launch, which was broadcast live in a presentation hosted by British television comedian Stephen Colbert. Among those in attendance was fellow billionaire and space industry pioneer Elon Musk, who is also the founder of electric car maker Tesla Inc. [antaranews/photo special]
