From Left to Right;  Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor  Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Founder  Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations  Colin Bennet, Lead Operations Engineer | Photo: Virgin Galactic
Cover From Left to Right; Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Founder Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations Colin Bennet, Lead Operations Engineer | Photo: Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic's first fully-crewed rocket successfully reached the edge of space with the company's founder, Richard Branson, onboard. This officially makes him the first space billionaire to travel to space.

As the first billionaire to reach the edge of space, Virgin Galactic's founder, Richard Branson, had an emotional message for all who dreamt of the same experience. "To all you kids out there, I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship, with lots of other wonderful adults looking down to our beautiful, beautiful earth," he says with a grin.

Apart from Branson, aboard the spacecraft were Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic; Colin Bennett, lead operations engineer at Virgin Galactic; Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations at Virgin Galactic; and pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci. 

See also: Have You Heard About The Pétrus 2000 Wine That Was Aged in Space?

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Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Founder
Above Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Founder | Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations
Above Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations | Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor at Virgin Galactic
Above Colin Bennet, Lead Operations Engineer | Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Colin Bennet, Lead Operations Engineer
Above Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor at Virgin Galactic | Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Dave Mackay, Chief Pilot, Virgin Galactic
Above Dave Mackay, Chief Pilot, Virgin Galactic | Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Michael Masucci, Pilot
Above Michael Masucci, Pilot | Photo: Virgin Galactic

"To the next generation of dreamers: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do," Branson continued as the "Unity 22" crew can be heard celebrating in the background.

The successful launch of Virgin Galactic's "Unity 22" mission is a record-breaking feat that was years in the making. Branson first announced his plans on starting a commercial space plane in 2004. An unfortunate event in 2014 also proved that this venture is a risky path to take. Yet, Virgin Galactic continued developing its mission leading to this glorious moment in time.

See also: The Virgin Galactic Spacecraft: This Is What Your Flight Into Space Will Look Like

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Unity22 crew at zero gravity | Photo: Virgin Galactic
Above Unity22 crew at zero gravity | Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Photo: Virgin Galactic
Above Photo: Virgin Galactic
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Virgin Galactic Unity22 Crew.  Left to right;   Dave Mackay, Chief Pilot,  Colin Bennett, Lead Operations Engineer  Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor   Richard Branson, Founder Virgin Galactic  Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations  Michael Masucci, Pilot
Above Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Founder

The space travel race has ended with Branson at the forefront, beating Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin, who had plans on travelling to space on 20 July 2021. However, this should not stop Bezos—nor Elon Musk, who is also aiming to launch a crewed rocket at the end of the year—from making human space travel possible for more civilians.

See also: From Jeff Bezos To Elon Musk: Discover What These Billionaires Enjoy As Hobbies

Watch the video below for Richard Branson's full message:

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