TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N. M. —Sir Richard Branson basked in the late morning New Mexico sunshine on Sunday. Beaming his white, toothy grin for all to see, the 70-year-old adventurer looked resplendent in their blue flight suit as he stood alongside the pilots, Dave Mackay and co-pilot Mike Masucci, who had just rocketed him above 85 km.
“I have wanted to do this since I was a child, ” Branson said. “But honestly, nothing could prepare you with regard to the view of Earth from space. ”
If you think Richard Branson’s space flight on Sunday morning was all about the pomp and simply served to feed the ego of a celebrity billionaire, you would not be wrong. Virgin Galactic hired Stephen Colbert to host the livestream, after all. R& B musician Khalid performed onstage following the mission. It was gaudy. It was showtime. It was absolutely a party.