It has been almost 10 years in the making.
But today Richard Branson’s long-awaited SpaceShipTwo, destined to fly passengers to space for a cool $250,000 (£150,000), crashed during a test flight.
The catastrophic explosion is the latest disaster in a slew of delays and set-backs that have plagued the seemingly perpetual project.
Branson announced his ambition to reach space in 2005, and immediately received a slew of requests from celebrities – including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry – wanting to nab a seat on the craft.
The unprecedented venture was dubbed ‘classic Branson’, tying neatly with the Virgin boss’s notorious penchant for taking risks and pushing limits, in everything from boats to hot air balloons.
Risk-taker: The unprecedented venture was dubbed ‘classic Branson’, tying neatly with the Virgin boss’s notorious penchant for taking risks. But it has been marred by delays and set-backs since 2005
Catastrophic crash: Two pilots were on board, and authorities confirmed one was dead, with the second being taken to hospital in Lancaster with serious injuries aboard a helicopter (pictured)
Record breaker: The adventurous Virgin boss started out with record speeds in boats and hot air balloons.
In July 2008, Branson sparked a flurry of excitement as he predicted that the maiden space voyage would take place within 18 months.
When the fateful month came around, October 2009, Virgin Galactic issued a statement to say initial flights for the Branson family would take place from Spaceport America ‘within two years’.
The declaration was followed by another on December 7, 2009: SpaceShipTwo was unveiled and Branson told his many ticket holders to prepare to fly in 2011.
