Sir Richard Branson

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Richard Branson's 3am Visitor Before Space Flight: Elon Musk

Tesla founder stopped by Branson's kitchen

(Newser) - Richard Branson got a visit from another billionaire in the wee hours of Sunday, just before his historic trip to space: Elon Musk. The Virgin Group founder tweeted a photo of himself with the (barefoot) Tesla founder two hours before the flight launched, Business Insider reports. Branson later explained at...

Branson Earns His Wings, Returns After Reaching Space

70-year-old tops Jeff Bezos in race between billionaires

(Newser) - Swashbuckling entrepreneur Richard Branson hurtled into space aboard his own winged rocket ship Sunday in his boldest adventure yet, beating out fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos. The nearly 71-year-old Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space tourism company reached an altitude of about 53 miles over the New Mexico...

2nd Time's the Charm: Virgin Orbit Reaches Space

Richard Branson's company succeeds Sunday, 8 months after failed flight

(Newser) - Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit reached space on Sunday, eight months after the first demonstration flight of its air-launched rocket system failed, the company said. A 70-foot-long LauncherOne rocket was released from beneath the wing of a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft off the coast of Southern California, ignited moments later,...

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit Rocket Launch Ends Poorly

It's not yet clear what went wrong, but mission was terminated

(Newser) - Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit failed Monday in its first test launch of a new rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California, the AP reports. The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the...

Branson Says He Will Use Island to Secure Loans

Billionaire asks UK government for assistance

(Newser) - Virgin chief Richard Branson is asking the British government for a bailout—and defending himself against critics who say a billionaire who doesn't pay British taxes shouldn't be asking for help. In an open letter to Virgin employees , Branson said he was asking for a government loan to...

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Reaches Space

It's a big milestone for the commercial space industry

(Newser) - Virgin Galactic has officially reached space. Sir Richard Branson's company launched a spacecraft more than 50 miles into the air Thursday, not reaching orbit but successfully meeting the Federal Aviation Administration's definition of space, the Washington Post reports. It was the first spacecraft with humans aboard to be...

The Sex Pistols' New Venture Is ... Not So Rebellious

Band will be featured on credit cards

(Newser) - From punk rock icons to ... credit card hawkers? Yes, indeed, the Sex Pistols will be helping a UK bank sell its credit cards, the Guardian reports. The band's name and album artwork will appear on a series of cards for Virgin Money, the bank founded by Sir Richard Branson,...

Cross-Dressing Branson Pays Lost Bet

Oh, and he shaved his legs

(Newser) - Just another day in the never-normal life of Richard Branson, who today had nothing better to do than shave his legs, smear about two kilos of red lipstick on his face, squeeze into a red skirt, and dump orange juice all over a fellow airline magnate. It was all in...

Delta Buying 49% of Virgin Atlantic

Deal will give it a larger share of NY-to-London market

(Newser) - Delta Air Lines said it will buy almost half of Virgin Atlantic for $360 million as it seeks a bigger share of the lucrative New York-to-London travel market. Delta plans to form a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic where the two airlines would share money from the flights operated under...

Kate Winslet Dishes on Dramatic Rescue

We saved what was important, she says of house fire

(Newser) - Kate Winslet, actress, plastic surgery disavower , and hero , has spoken out after rescuing Richard Branson’s mother from a fire at the Virgin tycoon’s Caribbean home. “I’m just so glad that everyone is safe. And this very easily could not have been the case,” she tells...

'Sir Richard, What Is That White Stuff?'

Airline chief Branson gets complaint about food

(Newser) - Sir Richard Branson personally responded to a “constructive if tongue-in-cheek” complaint letter from a Virgin Atlantic passenger, reprinted in the Telegraph. The beleaguered (and unnamed) flyer likened the dining experience to an awful Christmas morning. “You open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your...

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