Tag Archive for 'Richard Branson'

Ka-ching! Sweden Looks to Give Large Tax Break to Richard Branson, Space Tourists

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Doug
on July 10, 2008
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In what could be a substantial tax break for Sir Richard Branson and uber-rich space tourists, the Swedish government is close to classifying Virgin Galactic space tourism flights as sounding rockets.

Hyperbola’s Rob Coppinger reports that a government review has concluded there are no barriers to classifying suborbital tourism flights flown out of Spaceport Sweden as sounding rockets. Officials are hoping the Ministry of Commerce will approve the idea.

This move would be financially advantageous for both Virgin Galactic and its wealthy clientele.  Space News reported earlier this year that Swedish officials were looking to put the flights into the same category as hot air balloon rides and sounding rockets because the value added tax (VAT) on these activities is lower. Otherwise, Sweden’s higher value-added taxes would kick in, adding as much as 25 percent to the $200,000 ticket.

The move would not require any changes in Swedish law, easing the way for Branson’s company to begin tourism flights from Kiruna early in the next decade. Coppinger reports that the Swedish government, which faces elections within two years, might have a difficult time getting new laws passed before the vote. The next government might not be as amenable to providing a lower tax rate for joyriding millionaires.

Branson: Tourism Flights Set for Late 2010

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Doug
on May 18, 2008
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The Sunday Mirror quotes Richard Branson as saying that Virgin Galactic tourism flights are still about 30 months away. The British billionaire, speaking in Kenya where his company has rebuilt a school, said that he expects to begin flights in November 2010 after a rigorous test flight program for SpaceShipTwo and its White Knight carrier aircraft.

“NASA have [sic] lost three per cent of all their customers so our testing will be intense,” Branson said. “We are planning 50 test flights before we go up so we will be confident of getting it right.”

He plans to take his parents and children on the first tourism flight - but not his wife, Joan. “She’s not terribly keen on the idea of the kids coming up with me although I think she’s not too bothered about what might happen to me!” Branson joked.

Branson to Officiate Over First Space Wedding; Will Princess Beatrice be the Bride?

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on April 20, 2008
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Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson could preside over the first marriage in space aboard his SpaceShipTwo vehicle next year, The Daily Mail reports.

Although the pair is unidentified, the article notes that British Princess Beatrice, the 19-year-old daughter of Sarah Ferguson, wants to be the first royal married in space. Beatrice, fifth in line to the British throne, is involved with Dave Clark, who works in Virgin Galactic’s marketing department.

The couple can probably get a discount on the $200,000 per person flight, although Beatrice would have no trouble paying for it. The Mail reports that the club-hopping royal was recently looking at a £4.25 million ($8.5 million) four-bedroom, four-bathroom house in the tony London neighborhood of Belgravia.

Whoever the bride and groom are, they presumably would be married during the roughly five minutes of weightlessness they would enjoy during the suborbital flight, which will fly to an altitude of around 68 miles.

Presiding over weddings has become somewhat of a sideline for the brash, publicity savvy Branson. Last year, he became a minister for a day through an online church to officiate over the wedding of Virgin America marketing director Dimitrios Papadognonas and Coco Jones during a Virgin America Airlines flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas. The British billionaire also helped officiate over Google founder Larry Page’s wedding, which was held on Branson’s private Caribbean island.

It’s an interesting approach to nuptials. Weddings are usually about putting the couple up on a pedestal. One never upstages the bride and groom - especially the bride. Having a world famous, publicity-seeking billionaire presiding over the ceremony would tend to do precisely that. Unless, of course, you’re British royalty and outrank him.

On the other hand, who’s going to tell Richard Branson that you don’t want him to preside over the first wedding ever held in outer space aboard his own space plane? Probably no one. I suppose you would treat it as an honor and roll with it.

Virgin Galactic Eyes Australia’s Gold Coast as Launch Site

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on March 31, 2008
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Sir Richard Branson literally dropped in on Bond University in Australia on Sunday, giving a wide-ranging speech to students there. The British billionaire made a surprise helicopter stop at the school, where he told students that Virgin Galactic would consider putting a spaceport along the Gold Coast for its suborbital tourism flights.

“I think the Gold Coast region is where we would take off from. You never know,” Branson said.

GoldCoast.com.au has the full story.

Branson Promotes Space Tourism in India

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Doug
on March 15, 2008
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Sir Richard Branson was in India recently, promoting himself, his companies and space tourism. He sat down with NDTV with what appears to have been a fawning interviewer, at least according to the transcript:

NDTV: He is flamboyant. He is an adventure capitalist. And he makes a billion dollars before breakfast. Ladies and gentleman, in this special show, we have with us Sir Richard Branson.

Branson: You said I make billion dollars before breakfast. I think I’ll just won’t have breakfast the whole day.

The British mogul called India “one of the most exciting countries in the world at the moment. It’s a happening country.” He discussed many subjects, including his desire to set up a domestic Indian airline and his plans for Virgin Galactic.

Continue reading ‘Branson Promotes Space Tourism in India’

Is SpaceShipThree Already on the Drawing Board?

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on March 7, 2008
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Would you like to travel from London to Sydney in two hours? This long-held dream of frequent fliers might soon become a reality.

Rob Coppinger has an interesting story at FlightGlobal.com about Virgin Galactic’s plans for a follow-up vehicle to its suborbital spacecraft. The new ship, dubbed SpaceShipThree, would provide point-to-point travel while flying briefly above the atmosphere.

Virgin Galactic Plans to Order Five Additional Spacecraft

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on February 24, 2008
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Virgin’s Galactic has a 5-5 plan for its growth - order five additional spacecraft from Scaled Composites and turn a profit within five years beginning suborbital tourism launches in 2010.

“In the short term, we have firm orders for five spaceships and options for seven … We believe there is a very strong market,” said Virgin Galactic Director Alex Tai during an appearance at the Singapore Airshow.

Read the full Reuters story here. Public Radio also has a short piece about Virgin Galactic, which you can listen to here.

Space tourism to rocket in this century, researchers predict

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on February 24, 2008
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Outer space will rocket into reality as “the” getaway of this century, according to researchers at the University of Delaware and the University of Rome La Sapienza.

“In the twenty-first century, space tourism could represent the most significant development experienced by the tourism industry,” says Prof. Fred DeMicco, ARAMARK Chair at the University of Delaware’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program.

You can read the full story at UDaily, the University of Delaware website.

A Singapore spaceport for Virgin Galactic?

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Doug
on February 21, 2008
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Todayonline.com reports that Virgin Galactic may be looking at Singapore as a possible base for its suborbital tourism business within the next five years.

This move could pose a challenge for Space Adventures, which announced plans to build a spaceport in Singapore back two years ago. However, the Virginia-based company has only raised about half the funding for the facility, according to CEO Eric Anderson. He said the company hopes to raise the remainder of the funding by year’s end.

Richard Branson to take father, 92, on first space flight

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Doug
on February 17, 2008
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The first flight of SpaceShipTwo will be a family affair: Sir Richard Branson plans to take his 92-year-old father Ted and his 89-year-old mother Eve on the flight with him on the suborbital tourism jaunt.

Branson also will take his two children, Holly and Sam, on the inaugural flight, which is expected to take place in about 18 months. Also scheduled for the first flight: British Princess Beatrice, who is dating Virgin Galactic’s director of astronaut relations, Dave Clark.