Virgin Galactic
Use attributes for filter ! | |
Parent organizations | Virgin Group |
---|---|
Ceo | George T. Whitesides |
Founded | 2004 |
Headquarters | Mojave |
California | |
United States | |
Founders | Richard Branson |
Burt Rutan | |
Subsidiary | The Spaceship Company |
Date of Reg. | |
Date of Upd. | |
ID | 892153 |
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight company within the Virgin Group. It is developing commercial spacecraft and aims to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists and suborbital launches for space science missions. Virgin Galactic plans to provide orbital human spaceflights as well.
Virgin Galactic: Student Ana Mayers on going to space with her mum
... The pair, along with former Olympian Jon Goodwin, were on Virgin Galactic s first tourist flight - making them the first mother-daughter duo to fly to space together...
Virgin Galactic: First space tourism mission after decades of promises
...By Thomas MackintoshBBC NewsVirgin Galactic has taken a former Olympian, a University of Aberdeen student and her mother to the edge of space on its first flight for tourists...
Virgin Galactic: Mum, daughter and Brit, 80, count down to space flight
... Anastatia Mayers and her mother Keisha Schahaff won the tickets to board the Virgin Galactic flight in a competition...
Mother and daughter first to go to space together
...An 18-year-old Aberdeen University student and her mother will travel to space later this week after a winning a place on Virgin Galactic s first commercial flight in a prize draw...
Virgin Orbit: Branson's rocket firm permanently ceases operations
... It developed rockets to carry small satellites and is part of Sir Richard s business empire, which includes airline Virgin Atlantic and space tourism company Virgin Galactic...
Sir Richard Branson thought 'we were going to lose everything' in pandemic
... " In 2021, Sir Richard achieved a lifelong ambition and reached the edge of space in his Virgin Galactic commercial space plane...
Virgin Orbit: Sir Richard Branson's rocket company lays off 85% of staff
... It develops rockets to carry small satellites and is part of Sir Richard s business empire, which includes airline Virgin Atlantic and space tourism company Virgin Galactic...
Mark Easton's Boxing Day family puzzler 2021
... With Richard Branson s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos s Blue Origin looking to go head-to-head in the space tourism market, the British billionaire put tickets on sale in August...
Sir Richard Branson thought 'we were going to lose everything' in pandemic
Sir Richard Branson has said he feared he was going to lose his entire business empire during the pandemic.
The British businessman said he found a media backlash " painful" after the Virgin Group asked the UK government for a loan to save The Company .
Given his personal wealth and home on a Caribbean island, he was criticised for asking for a bailout when Airline Virgin Atlantic hit trouble.
Sir Richard told The Bbc he personally lost around £1. 5bn during the pandemic.
The struggles to save his businesses left him " a little depressed" for a couple of months, He Said . " I'd never experienced That before in My Life . "
Worst Case scenarioHe explained: " We had 50, 60 planes all on the ground, and the health clubs all closed, the hotels all closed. And the worst [case] would have been 60,000 people out on The Streets . "
The support The Company requested was, He Said , " not gifts from government, But underwriting loans so the cost to the Airline . . was not prohibitive. "
The government refused his request for a reported £500m bailout, however. eventually saw the Virgin Group inject £200m, with an additional £1bn provided by investors and creditors.
" There was a time when I thought we were going to lose everything, " Sir Richard said. " We sold shares in companies That were public and That was One Way we managed to find money. "
In a wide-ranging interview with The Bbc 's Amol Rajan , Sir Richard also discussed his marketing campaigns and publicity stunts of The Past - often involving glamorous women, who he sometimes threw over his shoulder.
Asked if those stunts now made him wince, he replied: " It would Make Me wince if I felt The Women were uncomfortable at all.
" I don't think That I ever made anybody feel uncomfortable. In Those Days , it made them Smile . . But today obviously, I think people would feel uncomfortable with something like That .
" So it's changed and I fully accept That . And I've changed alongside everybody else. "
In 2021, Sir Richard achieved a lifelong ambition and reached The Edge of space in his Virgin Galactic commercial space plane. " It was one of those most extraordinary days, every aspect of it" He Said .
He defended Space Exploration as a worthwhile investment, when asked whether launching rockets should be a priority for the ultra-rich, or is compatible with tackling Climate Change - a cause to which he has devoted extensive effort and money.
" Communication between people is being transformed because of Space Travel and satellites Up There , " He Said . " Monitoring things like the depredation of rainforests and illegal Fishing . . [There are] all these kinds of benefits That come from Space Travel . "
However, his satellite launch rocket company after failing to secure new investment.
Succession planningIn recent years, Sir Richard has also campaigned to promote awareness of dyslexia, a term rarely used and even less understood when he dropped out of school at 15. He revealed That , shortly after being sent to Boarding School aged seven, he was beaten so badly - " for being stupid" - That he bled.
" It was. . pretty horrendous in Those Days . And yes, as a dyslexic, I thought I must be stupid because they had Never Heard of [it]. The Word dyslexic didn't exist. "
As well as dyslexia, Sir Richard thinks he probably has Attention Deficit disorder, and acknowledged he does get bored easily.
At the Age Of 72, The Businessman still heads the Virgin Group - But admitted he does have thoughts about succession planning.
" We have serious discussions as A Family about how The Company can transform hopefully thousands people's lives in The Years to come and hopefully in the centuries to come, " He Said .
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com