Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity aircraft has taken off from New Mexico, USA, with its founder, Richard Branson. Yes, one of Britain's richest men has begun his quest to reach space.
In the latest photo released, Richard Branson is in a spaceship with three other people. Quoted from the BBC, the plane will take about an hour and a half to reach Earth orbit or space.
In this mission, Unity is carried by a larger airplane. At an altitude of 15 kilometers, Unity will be launched into space. Richard Branson and the rest of the crew will also be able to enjoy a spectacular view of Earth, just as tourists who have purchased Virgin Galactic tickets will experience.
Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004 to provide space travel. Previously, he has founded many large companies such as the Virgin Group conglomerate and the Virgin Atlantic airline.
The three Virgin Galactic officials joining Branson are Chief Instructor Astronaut Beth Moses, Principal Operations Engineer Colin Bennett, and Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations Sirisha Bandla.
Branson admits he has long wanted to go into space. "I've wanted to go into space since I was a kid, and I hope to be able to take hundreds of thousands of people in the next hundred years to go there," Branson said.
"And why should they go to space? Space is amazing, the universe is amazing. I want people to be able to see our beautiful Earth and come home and work hard to protect it," added Richard Branson.
Tags
SCIENCES