Billionaire Richard Branson reacts on board Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity after reaching the edge of space above Spaceport America. Billionaire Richard Branson floats in zero gravity on board Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity. Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity starts its ascent to the edge of space. 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 RACEHis ride-along also upstaged rival astro-tourism venture Blue Origin and its founder, Bezos, in what has been popularized as the "billionaire space race."

Source: Otago Daily Times July 11, 2021 19:41 UTC