Virgin-founder Richard Branson heads for space Sunday

After nearly two decades of overly optimistic forecasts, technical challenges, a tragic setback and a determined recovery, Richard Branson, the globe-trotting media mogul and founder of Virgin Galactic, plans to rocket into space Sunday, beating fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos to the punch by nine days. In a high-stakes display of confidence in Virgin’s sleek rocketplane, Branson wants to get an owner’s understanding of what his company is offering and in the process, convince potential customers that purely commercial, non-government flights to space are worth the initially astronomical cost. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 10)