Billionaire Blast Off: Richard Branson Plans Space Trip Ahead of Rival Bezos
Voice of America
WASHINGTON - Call it a space race for billionaires: British mogul Richard Branson one-upped rival Jeff Bezos on Thursday, announcing that he too will blast beyond Earth's atmosphere -- as many as nine days ahead of the Amazon founder.
With both tycoons having created space tourism companies and positioned themselves as leaders in the suborbital-flights-for-the-wealthy sector, the move signaled clear if not fierce competition. The announcement follows Bezos' proclamation in early June that he and his brother would be part of the crew on the first manned flight aboard his company Blue Origin's New Shepard launch vehicle. The move stole the thunder from Branson, who had long vowed to participate in a Virgin Galactic test flight before the launch of regular commercial operations slated for 2022.Director Lou Ye is pictured during a photo call for the film "An Unfinished Film," presented as part of Special Screenings at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2024. From left, producer Philippe Bober, producer Yingli Ma, director Lou Ye, actor Hao Qin and actor Huang Xuan are pictured during a photo call for "An Unfinished Film" at the Cannes Film Festival in France, May 17, 2024. FILE - Chinese artist Ai Weiwei takes pictures in front of his pieces displayed during the press preview for the exhibition "Ai Weiwei: Making Sense" at the Design Museum in London, April 4, 2023. FILE - In this May 30, 2019, photo, a computer screen shows web content from outside China, including a clip of Chinese singer Li Zhi singing his song "The Square."