RICHARD BRANSON

Launch company Virgin Orbit is bringing back some of its furloughed employees after putting them on leave last week, according to media reports.

Launch company Virgin Orbit has engaged two restructuring companies for discussions after furloughing most of its staff last week, according to media reports.

In a world that constantly invites you to talk more, comment more and overshare, the journalist and New York Times bestselling author talks about the value of learning when NOT to speak.

Virgin Orbit says it is pausing all operations amid reports that the company is furloughing almost all its staff as part of a bid to seek a funding lifeline.

Virgin Orbit says its first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from the U.K. failed after its rocket’s upper stage prematurely shut down.

British officials and space scientists say they are disappointed but not deterred after the first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from the U.K. ended in failure.

A satellite is being launched from the United Kingdom on Jan. 9, 2023. Final preparations are being made by Virgin Orbit before the launch.

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 | The 'Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas' airs on NBC

Space tourism company Virgin Galactic may be sued by shareholders, a media report suggests, while Virgin Orbit is bleeding cash ahead of its first launch from the U.K.

Virgin Orbit announced that Richard Branson's Virgin Group, an existing shareholder, made an additional $25 million investment on Nov. 4

The world’s first space tourist has signed up to spin around the moon aboard Elon Musk’s Starship.

Toronto-based TransPod says FluxJet is "a hybrid between an aircraft and a train" that would be faster and cheaper to travel between cities than an airplane.

A 22-year drought, fires and hotter summers from climate change are threatening Yosemite National Park's landscape.

Lightyear, a stock trading app based in the U.K., has raised $25 million in fresh funding to expand its presence across Europe.

A 26-year-old electrical and hardware engineer will become the first Mexican-born woman in space when she joins a diverse international crew for a 10-minute flight launched by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

Aspiring space tourists will need to wait a little longer before soaring into suborbital space with Virgin Galactic.

A look at the long history of speed limits — plus the fuel economy of newer cars — suggests that Richard Branson’s call for drivers to slow down won’t save gas.

Richard Branson has called on individuals and governments to cut their energy consumption in a bid to reduce reliance on Russian and bring an end to the war.

Sir Richard Branson, less than a year after reaching space with Virgin Galactic, hopes to next trade flights with Elon Musk and fly with SpaceX.

Virgin Galactic announced on Friday that chairman Chamath Palihapitiya is stepping down from the space tourism company's board of directors.

Starting Wednesday (Feb. 16), aspiring space tourists can once again book a trip to the final frontier with Virgin Galactic.

Space tourism company Virgin Galactic announced Tuesday that it will open ticket sales to the public on Wednesday, requiring a $150,000 deposit.

Shares of Virgin Galactic fell in trading on Thursday after the company announced plans to raise up to $500 million in debt.

The World Economic Forum says cybersecurity and space are emerging risks to the global economy, on top of existing challenges posed by climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.

Another kind of countdown hit New York City's Times Square Friday (Jan. 7) as a commercial spaceflight company celebrated joining the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Richard Branson's satellite-launching company Virgin Orbit brought a rocket to show off in New York City on Friday, as it celebrated going public.

Shares of space tourism company Virgin Galactic fell below the level the stock debuted at more than two years ago.

The year in space wrapped up with the Christmas day launch of the most expensive and powerful space telescope ever.

We might not be able to claim that 2021 was *the* wildest year in recent history (2020 will likely get that credit for quite some time), but it might be a close second.

From suborbital space to high Earth orbit, space tourism is just getting started.

Virgin Atlantic has received 400 million pounds ($530 million) of new funding from its shareholders to help the airline ride out the coronavirus pandemic.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it will no longer give out commercial astronaut wings starting next year because too many people are launching into space.

You don't have to be a billionaire to enjoy space. Here are ways to do so inexpensively.

Many of 2021's most notable moments were captured by TV, shaping and upending our expectations.

Singapore’s top court will decide Tuesday on the fate of a Malaysian man on death row who is believed to be mentally disabled.

Keisha S., a health and energy coach from the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, just won a free trip to suborbital space with Virgin Galactic.

About 100 people have bought a ticket to ride to suborbital space since Virgin Galactic reopened sales in August, at $450,000 apiece.

2021 has been a whirlwind for private space tourism, with this week especially crucial for the ventures founded by Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson.

Prince William has criticized some of the world’s richest men for using their wealth to fund a new space race and space tourism, and called on the world's great minds to fix the planet first.

Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, has blasted into space and safely returned to Earth in a convergence of science fiction and science reality.

The performer who breathed life into Captain James T.

It stars Owen Wilson as a cowboy-hatted Jeff Bezos.

At 90 years old, the 'Star Trek' actor will be the oldest person to fly to space.

The 90-year-old actor will be the oldest to fly in space when he joins three crewmates aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft

A group of more than 20 current and former employees are accusing Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight company of being a toxic work environment and not following proper safety protocols.

The Federal Aviation Administration has wrapped up its six-week inquiry into the July 11 test flight of Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity space plane.

The company said it expects to open its flight window for the next test flight by mid-October.

Virgin Galactic says the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared it to resume launches after an investigation into why its spaceship veered off course while descending during a July flight over New Mexico with founder Richard Branson aboard.

The FAA cleared Virgin Galactic to return to flight on Wednesday after completing a mishap investigation into the spaceflight that carried Sir Richard Branson.

Virgin Voyages, set for its first U.S. sailing Oct. 6, is attempting to build a narrative that its ships will be cooler and edgier.

Disney Plus launches “Among The Stars,” a new NASA documentary series offering a revealing look at a vital mission to the International Space Station

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is a no-go for launching billionaires into space.

.SpaceX’s first private flight has streaked into orbit with two contest winners, a health care worker and their rich sponsor. It was the first time a spacecraft circled Earth with an all-amateur crew and no professional astronauts. SpaceX’s recycled rocket soared Wednesday night from the same Kennedy Space Center pad used by the company’s three previous astronaut flights for NASA. But this time, the Dragon capsule aimed for an unusually high orbit, 100 miles higher than the International...

SpaceX’s first private flight will is led by a 38-year-old entrepreneur who’s bankrolling the entire trip. He’s taking two sweepstakes winners with him on the three-day, round-the-world trip, along with a health care worker who survived childhood cancer.

Khosla Ventures, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm founded by Vinod Khosla, made multiple early bets on Rocket Lab that are paying off enormously.

The U.S. is in a familiar spot as it takes the global lead for most daily coronavirus cases, recording more than a million cases this week. And with millions traveling for the Labor Day weekend, the numbers are expected to increase. Lilia Luciano has more.

Regulators say rocketship carrying British billionaire and others in a July flight veered off course on its descent.

The FAA said the rocketship carrying Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees veered off course during its descent back to New Mexico on July 11.

Unity 23 will carry Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei and Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi, as well as aerospace engineer Pantaleone Carlucci, a scientist with the Italian National Research Council.

The FAA grounded Virgin Galactic on Thursday, as the federal regulator investigates the company's previous spaceflight that carried founder Sir Richard Branson.

The Federal Aviation Administration says Virgin Galactic can't launch anyone into space again until an investigation is complete into founder Richard Branson's off-course flight in July.

When Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson became the first billionaire to fly to space with his own company on July 11, he may have also come close to becoming the first billionaire to crash during a spaceflight.

The F.A.A. is investigating the ship’s off-course descent.

As companies look to hire, they’re relaxing their standards and that’s good news if you don’t have a college degree.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit is preparing to go public, announcing on Monday that it will merge with a SPAC to list on the Nasdaq.

Timely sale follows the billionaire's successful first flight into suborbital space last month watched by millions.

Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson sold more of his ownership of the space tourism company this week.

With Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson both flying to space in craft made by their own private companies, July 2021 was perhaps the highest-profile month for space in years.

Senate Democrats from across the party's political spectrum seem near the unanimity they’ll need for the crucial first step toward their $3.5 trillion infrastructure vision.

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.

Well-heeled space tourists will need $450,000 for a short up-and-down trip to space aboard Virgin Galactic's rocket plane.

Virgin Galactic is selling tickets for space flights again, just weeks after founder Richard Branson rode a rocket-powered plane to more than 50 miles above the Earth.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he’s excited to see Jeff Bezos’ blast-off into space Tuesday.

Jeff Bezos has made it into space, riding his own company's rocket.

When Blue Origin launches people into space for the first time, founder Jeff Bezos will be on board.

An 18-year-old from the Netherlands is about to become the youngest person in space.

Jeff Bezos' rocket company has gotten federal approval to launch people into space, himself included.

Virgin Galactic has made its highest profile test flight to date with boss Richard Branson aboard.

Virgin Galactic's shares have turned sharply lower after the spaceflight company said it’s made arrangements to sell up to $500 million in stock.

Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson has reached space aboard his own winged rocket ship, bringing astro-tourism a step closer to reality.

Virgin Galactic is about to become the first rocket company to launch the boss to space.

Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson's companies both will take tourists to the edge of space.

Two billionaires are putting everything on the line to ride their own rockets into space.

Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson is aiming to beat fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos into space by nine days.

Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson won't say when he'll ride his rocket ship to space.

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has delivered satellites from three countries into space.

Virgin Galactic finally has the federal government's OK to start launching customers into space from New Mexico.

Virgin Galactic has made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Sixty years after Alan Shepard became the first American in space, everyday people are on the verge of following in his cosmic footsteps.

A U.S. government watchdog report is questioning the methods used in a USAID effort to get aid to Venezuela in 2019.

In this undated photo provided by Virgin Galactic is the VSS Imagine, the first SpaceShip III in the Virgin Galactic Fleet in Mojave, Calif. Virgin Galactic rolled out its newest spaceship Tuesday, March 30, 2021, as the company looks to resume test flights in the coming months at its headquarters in the New Mexico desert. (Virgin Galactic via AP). ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Virgin Galactic rolled out its newest spaceship Tuesday as the company looks to resume test flights in the coming months at its headquarters in the New Mexico desert. Virgin Galactic is one of a few companies looking to cash in on customers with an interest in space. “We expect as we get going on this to see a much quicker turnaround time and that really will help us grow the business.”AdFirst, Virgin Galactic needs regulatory approval for the current generation and that means successful rocket-powered test flights.

Isaacman announced Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, that he aims to use the trip to raise more than $200 million for St. Jude. (St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. billionaire who made a fortune in tech and fighter jets is buying an entire SpaceX flight and plans to take three “everyday” people with him to circle the globe this year. A female health care worker for St. Jude already has been selected for the mission. Anyone donating to St. Jude in February will be entered into a random drawing for seat No. While Isaacman and wife, Monica, managed to keep his space trip hush-hush over the months, their daughters couldn’t.

But as the Senate prepares for an impeachment trial for Trump's incitement of the riot, few seem willing to hold the former president accountable. “The political winds within the Republican Party have blown in the opposite direction,” said Ralph Reed, chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and a Trump ally. After Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer backed impeachment, Republican Tom Norton announced a primary challenge. “We’re getting ready for an impeachment trial — that’s really the focus,” said Trump adviser Jason Miller. And that his political activism or whatever role he would play going forward would be with the Republican Party, not as a third party,” Cramer said.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, Axiom announced they will be the first private space station crew, a year ahead of the planned launch. (Courtesy Axiom Space via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first private space station crew was introduced Tuesday: Three men who are each paying $55 million to fly on a SpaceX rocket. “This is the first private flight to the International Space Station. It’s never been done before," said Axiom's chief executive and president Mike Suffredini, a former space station program manager for NASA. Russia has been in the off-the-planet tourism business for years, selling rides to the International Space Station since 2001.

(AP Photo/Matt Hartman)LOS ANGELES – 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. “According to telemetry, LauncherOne has reached orbit!” Virgin Orbit tweeted later. Virgin Orbit touts the flexibility of its capability to begin its missions by using airports around the globe. Virgin Orbit attempted its first demonstration launch in May 2020. Virgin Orbit is separate from Virgin Galactic, the company founded by Branson to carry passengers on suborbital hops in which they will experience the sensations and sights of spaceflight.

The European and Russian space agencies skipped the 2020 Mars launch window, their life-sniffing Mars rover grounded until 2022 because of technical issues and COVID-19 restrictions. Three weeks later, SpaceX launched its biggest cargo shipment yet to the space station for NASA. If the repairs work and the capsule finally reaches the space station, the first Starliner astronauts could be flying by summer. The actor was in talks with NASA this year about filming a movie at the space station. “Whatever else can be said about the four years of the Trump administration, they have been positive for the U.S. civilian space program,” noted John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute.

Virgin Galactic is celebrating the second successful glide flight of its spaceship over Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. Virgin Galactic posted on social media that the flight crew is ready but do not plan to fly before Saturday. Officials with Virgin Galactic and the state-financed spaceport said the test flight will mark another key milestone in the march toward commercial flights. The impending flight will be the third space flight for Virgin Galactic and the first from New Mexico. In addition to those who have put down deposits for a ride with Virgin Galactic, several thousand more have registered their interest online.

LOS ANGELES – Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, are forming a film production company that they say will tell the stories of people whose voices are often overlooked. There have been generations of change-makers who have shaped and will continue to shape our world — often quietly, flying under the radar,” Hillary Clinton said in a statement. The son of business tycoon Sir Richard Branson is the founder of the boutique production company Sundog Pictures. HiddenLight says it also has plans to produce other documentaries as well as scripted and unscripted entertainment for TV, film and digital platforms. “The stories we tell and the experiences we share shape the way we see each other and help us understand our own unique place in the world," said Chelsea Clinton.

LOS ANGELES – Virgin Galactic said Thursday that it expects to launch its first manned test flight into space from New Mexico this month. The company’s spacecraft, VSS Unity, conducted two previous test spaceflights from Mojave, California, before moving in to its facilities at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The spaceport will be Virgin Galactic's base for launching passengers on brief trips high above the Earth, starting with billionaire founder Richard Branson next year. In addition to passengers, Unity can carry small science experiments and will do so on this month’s flight, generating some revenue through a NASA program. Virgin Galactic also has made progress on a second spaceship in its planned fleet and plans to roll it out during the first quarter of 2021, CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement.