Elon Musk has paid a $10,000 deposit for a ticket to the edge of space with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic

Advertisement
Elon Musk has paid a $10,000 deposit for a ticket to the edge of space with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Susan Montoya Bryan/Reuters; Mike Blake/Reuters
  • Elon Musk has booked a seat on a future Virgin Galactic space flight, founder Richard Branson said.
  • Branson told The Sunday Times that Musk was one of 600 people to put down $10,000 deposit.
  • Branson became the first billionaire to reach space on Sunday.
Advertisement

Elon Musk has booked a ticket on one of Virgin Galactic's future flights to the edge of space, the company's founder Richard Branson said.

Virgin Galactic flew its first full crew - including Branson - 55 miles above sea level in its VSS Unity spacecraft on Sunday. Branson was the first billionaire to reach space, beating Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, who is due to fly on July 20 on the New Shepard rocket.

Musk has paid a $10,000 deposit to secure a seat on a future Virgin Galactic trip, Branson told The Sunday Times in an interview. The date has not been set, he told the newspaper.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

The space company aims to begin flying tourists to the edge of space in 2022.

"Elon's a friend and maybe I'll travel on one of his ships one day," the 70-year-old said.

Advertisement

Fellow space-company founder Musk visited Branson in his kitchen at 3 a.m. on the morning of the flight to wish him good luck.

"Great to start the morning with a friend," Branson said in a tweet two hours before the flight.

A Virgin Galactic spokesperson confirmed Musk's purchase to The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, but didn't clarify how high Musk was on the waiting list.

A ticket for a one-hour trip on Virgin Galactic's space plane costs $250,000 - that also includes training and a spacesuit. About 600 people across 58 countries have already reserved a ticket on VVS Unity, including the celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga.

{{}}