Richard Branson Makes History Aboard Virgin Galactic's Space Flight

Richard Branson, the British billionaire flew into space on July 11 aboard a Virgin Galactic vessel, a voyage he described as the "experience of a lifetime". He also hopes it will usher in an era of lucrative space tourism. "Congratulations to all our wonderful team at Virgin Galactic for 17 years of hard, hard work to get us this far," he said during a live feed as the VSS Unity spaceship glided back to Spaceport America in New Mexico.

It reached a peak altitude of around 53 miles (85 kilometers), beyond the boundary of space, according to the United States. It allowed the passengers to experience weightlessness and admire the Earth's curvature. The trip proceeded without drama, and touchdown occurred at around 9:40 am Mountain Time (1540 GMT), about an hour after take-off. The mission's success means Branson has beaten Jeff Bezos in the race to be the first tycoon to cross the final frontier in a ship built by a company he founded. Watch the video to know more.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2021 11:12 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).