Space-tech: Billionaire Bezos’ flight to space to draw in starry-eyed investors July 21, 2021 Following Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ 10-minute venture into space yesterday, space-tech investment may be set to rocket, space-fund boss Mark Boggett has said. Just last week Boggett’s space investment firm Seraphim Space listed on the London Stock Exchange after rallying £178.4m from starry-eyed investors in mid-July. “Branson, Musk and Bezos initially cracked open the [...]
Richard Branson set for space flight aboard Virgin Galactic rocket July 11, 2021 Sir Richard Branson is today due to launch into space aboard a Virgin Galactic rocket plane as he kicks off the race to roll out space tourism. The British billionaire will be one of six people aboard the plane, which will climb more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert to the edge of [...]
Branson and Bezos space race outruns insurers July 9, 2021 Billionaires Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos are reportedly launching into space without insurance for injury or death. Brokers told the NYT’s Dealbook newsletter neither Branson or Bezos, or their respective companies Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, have purchased liability insurance. This is most likely because there isn’t a fully functioning insurance system for casual [...]
Richard Branson set to beat Jeff Bezos in space race July 2, 2021 Sir Richard Branson is aiming to beat billionaire rival Jeff Bezos into space by just nine days after setting a launch date for his Virgin Galactic rocket ship. The entrepreneur plans to join as a passenger on VSS Unity as early as 11 July, subject to weather and technical checks. The journey to the edge [...]
Virgin Galactic granted license to take customers to space June 25, 2021 Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has today received a commercial licence to fly customers into space, the firm announced today. The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has updated its existing licence to fly test missions to include commercial passengers. The decision to grant the company a full license comes after a successful test flight last [...]
Richard Branson to take satellites firm public in $3bn Spac listing June 13, 2021 Sir Richard Branson is in talks to take his satellite launch firm public through a $3bn (£2.1bn) blank-cheque deal. The tycoon is finalising a deal to merge Virgin Orbit with NextGen Acquisition II, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) set up by former Goldman Sachs banker George Mattson, Sky News reported. Branson’s Virgin Group empire [...]
Virgin Atlantic set to raise £160m amid ongoing travel restrictions March 13, 2021 Virgin Atlantic is in discussions to raise £160m from shareholders and creditors as the airline seeks to shore up its finances ahead of the planned reopening of travel in the coming months. Billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson is set to provide the bulk of the funding through Virgin Group, which is expected to inject around [...]
SPACs: The blank cheque vehicles loved by Richard Branson, Tidjane Thiam and Wilbur Ross February 4, 2021 With backing from the likes of Richard Branson, former US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, City grandee Martin Gilbert and even the boss of the LSE, the vehicles known as special acquisition companies (SPACs) provide a quick and easy way for private companies to go public.
DNA testing firm23andMe linked to Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp in move to go public January 27, 2021 DNA-testing company 23andMe is reportedly in talks to go public through a $4bn deal with Richard Branson's VG Acquisition Corp
Living up to the hype? Virgin Hyperloop uses its top executives as guinea pigs in first human tests November 9, 2020 Virgin Hyperloop uses its top executives as guinea pigs in first human tests