Sir Richard Branson, the British entrepreneur, created history by becoming the first space tourist. Until now, space was the domain of a privileged few like scientists and researchers. They conducted experiments on living beings from animals, plants, and humans to understand how they interact with space and their adaptability to an alien environment. Such studies intend to pave the road for setting foot on other planets.
The billionaire of Britain added another dimension to it by introducing the concept of space tourism. He is Sir Richard Branson, and he earned his wings.
He belled the cat and used his own Virgin Galactic set up to reach the edge of space with his crew. It was a test flight of sorts, but it set the ball rolling for starting commercial flights with paying customers in 2022.
NBC News says the achievement gives him an edge over another billionaire. He is Jeff Bezos, an American and founder of Amazon. He also plans something similar on July 20. Branson is in his 70s, and he dismisses any competition with Bezos. However, the timings of the two flights are significant. Each is trying to get a footing in the business of space tourism. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic is on its way to make space tourism a reality.
Branson launched his flight from Spaceport America
The flight of Sir Richard Branson was a suborbital trip.
It was a journey to the edge of space. NBC News says the flight of Virgin Galactic took off from Spaceport America. There were delays attributed to the weather. Crewmembers were employees of Virgin Galactic. The company would carry out some more tests before the commencement of regular operations. In June 2019, a news report mentioned the International Space Station welcoming tourists.
It indicated a probable price tag of around $250,000 per passenger to travel to the edge of space.
The success of Branson will boost the private spaceflight industry
Sir Richard Branson is one among the few billionaire players trying to make a dent in the private spaceflight industry. He founded Virgin Galactic in 2004, and it appears to be on firm ground.
One of Branson's competitors is Elon Musk. His SpaceX has established links with NASA to ferry astronauts to and from the Spacelab. That was a huge relief for NASA because the agency had to depend on Russia to ferry astronauts, which was costly.
Moreover, Musk revolutionized space research by introducing reusable rockets that brought economy into the operations. Another competitor is Jeff Bezos. He would undertake his own trip to suborbital space on July 20. In December 2017, news in the media revealed the possibility of getting a Russian luxury hotel in the International Space Station.
Celebrities in the queue for space tourism with Virgin Galactic
According to Sky News, Sir Richard Branson and his crew returned to Earth as astronauts.
NASA defines the edge of space at 50 miles. It was the 22nd flight test for the rocket plane VSS Unity. It took off from a spaceport in New Mexico. The crew had to evaluate many parameters while in flight. These related to the comfort level for tourists who would be in the commercial cabin. The schedule of the company includes some more test flights before the commercial launch. It seems Virgin Galactic already has more than 600 customers, and they include Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio. Man is always on the lookout for variety, and space tourism is something new. Those who love sci-fi movies would enjoy being one of the persons who can move about in a light condition. The space tourist can experience this unique feeling for a few minutes.
