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The battle for space tourism is heating up. British billionaire Sir Richard Branson will attempt to reach space on July 11 of this year, beating competitor Jeff Bezos' deadline to launch on July 20. If all goes well, Branson will take a trip to the edge of space accompanied by a crew of three Virgin Galactic specialists. On June 25 the company was granted a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin their public spaceflight venture. The company expects to be fully operational and ready to begin transporting paying customers to space not later than early 2022.
"After more than 16 years of research, engineering, and testing, Virgin Galactic stands at the vanguard of a new commercial space industry, which is set to open space to humankind and change the world for good,'' Branson said in a statement. "I’m honoured to help validate the journey our future astronauts will undertake and ensure we deliver the unique customer experience people expect from Virgin."