Wealthy entrepreneurs vie to get a new business off the launchpad

In this photo provided by Virgin Galactic, the VSS Unity's rocket motor burns above the Earth on July 11, 2021. (VIRGIN GALACTIC VIA AP)

The billionaires Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are set to kick start commercial space travel for ordinary people, but the adventure won't be cheap.

British Virgin Galactic founder Branson, 70, announced early this month that he would voyage into space.

On Sunday morning, Branson prepared to climb into his Virgin Galactic passenger rocket plane and soar more than 80 kilometers above the New Mexico desert in the VSS Unity rocket plane's first fully crewed test flight to the edge of space.

The white space plane was due to be borne aloft at around 10:30 am local time.

Branson, two company pilots and three Virgin Galactic crew mates were to be launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico on what was expected to be at least an hourlong flight.

Once the craft reaches its maximum altitude, the pilots are to cut the engines, causing it to drift and allowing Branson and his fellow crew members to feel weightless for up to five minutes.

Bezos, 57, had earlier announced that with his brother Mark, 53, he will fly into space on July 20, on an 11-minute flight called the New Shepard, named after Alan Shepard.

The aim of Bezos' and Branson's flights is to demonstrate that it is safe for humans to travel beyond Earth before the two launch their space tourism ventures. Both of their space companies have been researching and testing the safety of their aircraft for nearly 20 years.

Branson hinted that on his return from the trip Virgin Galactic would unveil plans to start selling its flights. "I truly believe that space belongs to all of us," he said.

"After 16 years of research, engineering and testing, Virgin Galactic stands at the vanguard of a new commercial space industry, which is set to open space to humankind and change the world for good."

Last month Branson moved one step closer to being able to offer commercial flights when the Federal Aviation Administration updated Virgin Galactic's commercial space transportation operator license to allow it to fly customers into space. Virgin Galactic had held the operator's license since 2016 but was allowed to run test flights only.

Closer to reality

Though space tourism is getting closer to reality, anyone interested in taking such a trip will need to have quite a bit of cash on hand.

Branson could begin offering a full commercial service next year, and tickets for a Virgin Galactic flight could cost US$250,000 each, according to the BBC.

At least 600 people are on a waiting list for the opportunity to travel 90 kilometers in a spacecraft, the BBC said. The Italian Air Force will be among the first to pay for a trip.

Bezos' Blue Origin, a company founded in 2000, is also hurtling closer toward offering space tourism. It will reportedly charge passengers US$200,000 for a ticket, Reuters reported.

Bezos, the world's second-richest man with a net worth of US$186.2 billion, has reportedly put more than US$1 billion into the aerospace venture.

SpaceX, run by Musk, is also making great strides. It was the first private company to take humans from the US to the International Space Station in May last year and plans to put a crew into orbit in September.

Agencies contributed to this story.

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com