Space travel isn't just for astronauts anymore. Business magnate Richard Branson has successfully flown into space in a rocket plane developed by his firm, Virgin Galactic.
The plane called Unity took off from New Mexico on Sunday. It climbed to an altitude of about 86 kilometers above Earth, which is defined as space by the U.S. Air Force.
The billionaire executive could barely contain his excitement.
(Richard Branson / Founder, Virgin Galactic)
"To the next generation of dreamers: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do! Yay!"
Unity returned to the spaceport about one hour after its departure. The business of space tourism is about to get competitive. In June, Virgin Galactic obtained a license for space flights with commercial passengers. The company plans to start operations soon.
