Richard Branson Races Jeff Bezos to Space as Covid-19 Hits Business Back on Earth

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“Nobody will feel confident in his commercial space flights if he is unwilling to do it himself.” Richard Branson is taking a risk this Sunday, flying to space and back in a stunt that would assure future customers that space tourism is safe.

with the sort of high-profile act that made the British billionaire famous and helped him build his Virgin Group into a global brand.

Back on the ground, Mr. Branson’s business empire—straddling airlines, cruise ships, hotels and gyms—is trying to recover from the economic hit that many tourism and travel-focused businesses have suffered during the pandemic. Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc., the space-tourism company that will take Mr. Branson on its first fully crewed space flight this weekend, and his satellite-launch company, Virgin Orbit, have been bright spots.

The launch, assuming no weather or technical issues, is scheduled nine days before Mr. Bezos, the Amazon.com Inc. founder, is slated to be part of the, Blue Origin LLC. The rival launches highlight the competition that could unfold in the coming years between billionaires to carry fee-paying passengers to the edge of space. SpaceX, the rocket company led by Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk, plans this year to carry paying passengers higher still.

Mr. Branson, 70 years old, has for years brought global attention to his businesses on the back of publicity-grabbing stunts, establishing a risk-taking, flamboyant persona that is a key part of the brand. Mr. Branson’s participation in the launch is a marketing opportunity but also important for assuring future paying customers that the flight is safe, said Will Whitehorn, a former senior Virgin executive who has discussed the flight with Mr. Branson.

“Nobody will feel confident in his commercial space flights if he is unwilling to do it himself,” said Mr. Whitehorn, who is also the president of UKspace, a trade association for British space companies. Virgin Galactic says its tickets have sold for $250,000 each, and the company has collected $80 million in sales and deposits.

 

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Well, I would not be very calm with his record

Damn, the way you listed his previous catastrophes doesn't predict a positive outcome for him.

Love that he keeps swinging for it.

'Waste of space'.

The outrageous & sickening amount of money being spent by the wealthiest men on earth to feed their egos instead of humanity or using their money to make a better world is obscene! Think of the real change they could enact!

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Could the cost in their exploration save lives?

People who want to do it don’t need a stunt to convince them. Similarly those who don’t feel it’s safe won’t be convinced otherwise by the same stunt

This is all nuts. Just completely nuts! It’s going to lead to disaster. Just you wait.

How many billionaires can fit in that plane ? Load it up .

Estoy contigo Sera un gran viaje

Nothing to lose? I’m guessing he’s in The ring of powerful men who do things they shouldn’t.

I honestly fear the worst, I have no confidence in Branson project and followed it for many years

Elon Musk manipulates 'early adopters' and 'beta testers' who are insecure & desperate to feel superior into risking their lives for his missions. From SpaceX to Tesla Autopilot, Musk is a SerialKillerCEO.

Whatever, meanwhile how many children will die of malnutrition? Get a grip, gentlemen.

What could possibly go wrong?

richardbranson don’t do it dude

BillionaireRaces

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