Virgin Galactic test flight on VSS Unity with Richard Branson onboard has successfully reached space and came back to the Earth within an hour. Spacecraft flew 85km high (282,000ft; 53 miles) above New Mexico in the US according to the official website.
"I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid, but honestly nothing can prepare you for the view of Earth from space," Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Gallactic, tells in a press conference following the space flight.
Two pilots, Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, and three Galactic employees - Beth Moses, Colin Bennett, and Sirisha Bandla accompanied Richard Brandson during the flight. The trip also makes him the first of the new space tourism pioneers to try out their own vehicles, beating Amazon's Jeff Bezos and SpaceX's Elon Musk.