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Keyword: branson

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  • Branson’s Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy, to seek buyer

    04/04/2023 9:02:48 AM PDT · by george76 · 44 replies
    New York Post ^ | April 04, 2023
    Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit Holdings (VORB.O) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday after the satellite launch company failed to secure the long-term funding needed to help it recover from a January rocket failure. The Long Beach, California-based company lodged the filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware seeking a sale of its assets after announcing the layoff of roughly 85% of its 750 employees last week. “At this stage, we believe that the Chapter 11 process represents the best path forward ... Virgin Orbit went public in 2021 through a blank-check deal, raising $255 million...
  • Virgin Orbit furloughs most employees and pauses operations for a week

    03/16/2023 6:43:21 AM PDT · by NautiNurse · 14 replies
    engadget ^ | Steve Dent
    Satellite launch company Virgin Orbit is starting an "operational pause" and furloughing most employees except for a skeleton crew, CNBC has reported. The company is reportedly seeking new investors to relieve financial pressure and plans to give "an update on go-forward operations in the coming weeks," a spokesperson said in a statement. Companies like SpaceX launch heavy rockets from the ground to get satellite payloads in orbit. However, Virgin Orbit carries smaller rockets to a height of about 35,000 feet on the wing of a Boeing 747, reducing fuel required. Earlier this year, it attempted to launch nine satellites into...
  • Britain's groundbreaking satellite launch ends in failure

    01/10/2023 12:42:33 AM PST · by blueplum · 44 replies
    Reuters ^ | 09 Jan 2023 | By Paul Sandle
    NEWQUAY, England, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain's attempt to become the first European nation to launch satellites into space ended in bitter disappointment early on Tuesday when Virgin Orbit said its rocket had suffered an anomaly that prevented it from reaching orbit. The "horizontal launch" mission had left from the coastal town of Newquay in southwest England, with Virgin's LauncherOne rocket carried under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 called "Cosmic Girl"... ...Virgin Orbit had initially said on Twitter that LauncherOne had reached earth orbit, a tweet it later deleted.
  • Sen. Bernie Sanders: Billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are ‘off taking joy rides on their rocket ships’

    04/02/2022 11:17:31 AM PDT · by ProtectOurFreedom · 67 replies
    MSNBC ^ | April 1, 2022 | Megan Sauer
    On Wednesday (March 30, 2022), at a meeting of the U.S. Senate Committee on Budget, Sanders raised an issue that’s been a regular part of his political platform for many years: wealth distribution. “Anyone who thinks we do not have an oligarchy right here in America is sorely mistaken,” he said. “Today in America, multibillionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson are off taking joy rides on their rocket ships to outer space.” Sanders appeared to be citing the three billionaires’ spaceflight companies: SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, respectively. All three U.S.-based businesses have played a large part...
  • Rockets in the Stratosphere

    09/04/2021 3:31:04 PM PDT · by Jyotishi · 18 replies
    The Pioneer ^ | Saturday, September 4, 2021 | Gwynne Dyer
    The typical rocket launch dumps the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere as one airliner does in the course of a trans-Atlantic crossing If you’re worried about your ‘carbon footprint’ - a concept foisted on the world in 2004 by British Petroleum to persuade people that their own behaviour, and not giant oil companies like BP, is causing the climate problem -- then you definitely should not sign up for a sub-orbital space flight. Besides, you probably can’t afford it ($250,000 pp). Millions of people can afford it, however, and since the Branson/Bezos ‘space race’ last month tickets for...
  • U.S. grounds Virgin Galactic flights pending mishap probe

    09/02/2021 8:18:28 PM PDT · by blueplum · 13 replies
    Reuters ^ | 02 September 2021 | David Shepardson
    WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday barred Virgin Galactic from flying its SpaceShipTwo until the agency approves its final mishap investigation report from its July flight or determines the issues do not affect public safety. The FAA confirmed on Wednesday it was investigating a deviation in the descent of the flight of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane that carried British billionaire Richard Branson to the edge of space on July 11....
  • Opinion: We need climate action, not space tourism

    07/20/2021 9:51:49 AM PDT · by Olog-hai · 59 replies
    Deutsche Welle ^ | 07.20.2021 | Sonya Angelica Diehn
    I care about the future; therefore, I care about the climate. I belong to the vast majority of global citizens who, as poll after poll show, are concerned about the direction the planet is heading and understand the urgency and existential nature of the impending climate emergency. The recent catastropic flooding in central Europe and extreme high temperatures in North America are just a few symptoms of this. So in my family, we do something about it. We scrimp and save on our carbon budget: we walk or ride bikes instead of driving our car; we eat dramatically less meat...
  • Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Space Trip Delayed Slightly by Weather (now set for 10:30 a.m. ET)

    07/11/2021 5:51:51 AM PDT · by LibWhacker · 70 replies
    Wall Street Journal ^ | 7/11/2021 | Micah Maidenberg
    TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M.—Richard Branson is scheduled to travel to the edge of space Sunday in a flight aimed at spurring a new, multibillion-dollar space-tourism industry. The flight, originally scheduled for 9 a.m. ET, was delayed 90 minutes on Sunday because of weather overnight at the launch facility in New Mexico. The launch is now scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET. At that time, a highflying Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. airplane is expected to take off from the Spaceport America facility near Truth or Consequences. The plane, called the VMS Eve, will carry the spacecraft VSS Unity, which will include Mr....
  • Richard Branson will fly on SpaceShipTwo this weekend. Welcome to the New (Edge of) Space Race!

    07/10/2021 10:36:36 PM PDT · by LibWhacker · 16 replies
    Universe Today ^ | 7/10/2021 | Matt Williams
    It’s no secret that the commercial space industry (aka. NewSpace) has become immensely lucrative in recent years, nor the fact that it has become intensely competitive as a result. To illustrate, one needs to look no further than the top three NewSpace companies in the world right now: SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. Between these three companies, all founded by billionaires with similar visions, a new space race has begun. In recent months, the race has intensified as Jeff Bezos announced that he would be going to space on the inaugural flight of the New Shepard rocket. In response,...
  • Window opens for Virgin Galactic’s final round of testing

    10/20/2020 6:12:19 PM PDT · by BeauBo · 3 replies
    Border Report ^ | Oct 20, 2020 | SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press
    The window for the final round of testing of Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered spacecraft opens later this week as the company inches toward commercial flights. Virgin Galactic President Mike Moses updated New Mexico lawmakers on the progress during a meeting Monday. He said the space tourism company already has done nine flights from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, including two glide flights by the spaceship. While the exact date has yet to be determined, the upcoming test will mark the third space flight for Virgin Galactic and the first from New Mexico. Moses called it a big milestone for an...
  • Venezuela Latest: Trump Urges Military To Switch Sides, "Live Aid" Concert Set For Colombia Friday

    02/19/2019 2:45:42 AM PST · by Nextrush · 18 replies
    Nextrush Free ^ | 2/18/2019 | Nextrush/Self
    "The people of Venezuela are standing for freedom and democracy and the United States of America is standing right by their side" President Donald J. Trump Speaks In Miami 2/18/2019 Speaking in Miami Monday afternoon President Donald Trump urged the Venezuelan military to stop its support for Nicolas Maduro and come out in support of Interim President Juan Guaido. Trump noted that Guaido has offered amnesty and also warned that the US knows where the military has any ill gotten gains given to them by Maduro stashed in financial institutions. The President laid out a vision of democracy for Venezuela...
  • Venezuela’s Maduro says 2 US ‘mercenaries’ were captured in failed raid attempt

    05/05/2020 4:10:40 AM PDT · by knighthawk · 28 replies
    Fox News ^ | May 05 2020 | Edmund DeMarche
    Nicolás Maduro, the embattled leader of Venezuela, said Monday that authorities in Caracas captured 13 “terrorists”—including two U.S. citizens-- in a failed invasion attempt that he said was no doubt orchestrated by the Trump administration. Maduro made a nationwide broadcast on state television and held up a pair of U.S. passports that he said were recovered. He read off the names and birthdays of the two Americans.
  • Ex-Green Beret claims he led foiled raid into Venezuela

    05/03/2020 9:48:55 PM PDT · by yesthatjallen · 46 replies
    AP ^ | 05 04 2020 | JOSHUA GOODMAN and SCOTT SMITH
    A former Green Beret has taken responsibility for what he claimed was a failed attack Sunday aimed at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and that the socialist government said ended with eight dead. Jordan Goudreau’s comments in an interview with an exiled Venezuelan journalist capped a bizarre day that started with reports of a pre-dawn amphibious raid near the South American country’s heavily guarded capital. An AP investigation published Friday found that Goudreau had been working with a retired Venezuelan army general now facing U.S. narcotics charges to train dozens of deserting Venezuelan soldiers at secret camps inside neighboring Colombia....
  • Venezuelan government says it stopped ‘invasion’ launched from Colombia

    05/03/2020 9:55:48 PM PDT · by BenLurkin · 28 replies
    Washington Post ^ | May 3 at 8:15 PM | Ana Vanessa Herrero and
    The operation involved at least three boats, though only one was captured. One of its commanders sent audio recordings to Venezuelan military and police WhatsApp groups, calling for troops to rebel and take to the streets. Alemán, a Venezuelan lawmaker now living outside the country, said Sunday he had been involved in Alcalá’s operation in Colombia since last year. He said the group had to “make some adjustments” after a shipment of weapons destined for the camps was seized by Colombian authorities in March. Alemán said the plan was for the boats to land at La Guaira, home to Venezuela’s...
  • Richard Branson races to find Virgin Atlantic buyer

    04/26/2020 5:46:44 AM PDT · by C19fan · 12 replies
    UK Telegraph ^ | April 26, 2020 | Oliver Gill
    Sir Richard Branson is seeking a buyer for Virgin Atlantic and has set an end-of-May deadline to save the airline from collapse after a taxpayer bailout proved beyond his reach. The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the pursuit of a £500m government package has been effectively shelved and that the airline is now focused on securing new private investment in the shadow of potential insolvency.
  • Professional Virgin

    04/22/2020 6:33:50 PM PDT · by Rummyfan · 9 replies
    Steyn Online ^ | 21 Apr 2020 | Mark Steyn
    Corona's corporate victims continue to pile up, from Playboy magazine and The Jewish Chronicle to airlines around the world. I had a crummy flight on Virgin Australia - Perth to Adelaide - a few years back, and have eschewed it ever since. But I may not be able to maintain my boycott: It has now gone into bankruptcy administration, and Virgin Atlantic looks to be heading the same way. Richard Branson has been forced to explain that, even though he's worth £4.7 billion, it's not kept in a silo on his private island where he ploughs it back and forth...
  • Branson's Celebration of Faith and Patriotism

    07/15/2019 4:13:31 AM PDT · by Kaslin · 33 replies
    Townhall.com ^ | July 15, 2019 | Terry Paulson
    Have you ever felt you needed a break from the heated political exchanges on social media, the destructive Antifa demonstration coverage, and the endless political coverage of partisanship coming out of Washington? With 90 percent negative news and a dwindling supply of puppy or kitty videos to bring a smile to your face, we crave something positive, fun, patriotic, and faith inspiring. Enticed into scheduling a 4-day vacation in Branson, Missouri, my wife and I weren't sure what to expect. We traveled light and wondered whether the positive gossip we'd heard about the area was true. There seemed to be...
  • Billionaire Richard Branson: Taxing the extremely wealthy like me 'makes sense'

    02/15/2019 7:20:49 AM PST · by Lockbox · 61 replies
    CNBC ^ | 2/14/19 | Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
    Billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Richard Branson said Thursday that taxing the rich "makes sense," arguing the extremely affluent have a responsibility to tackle some of the biggest problems in the world, including wealth disparities. "People like myself are incredibly fortunate," the Virgin Group founder told CNBC's Morgan Brennan in an interview. "I suspect there should be higher taxes for the wealthy around the world and I don't think they would object to that." Branson — with a net worth of $4.1 billion, according to Forbes — is part of the growing circle of elite business leaders questioning wealth disparity in...
  • NM Spaceport Seeks Additional State Subsidies

    09/26/2018 10:15:32 AM PDT · by fishtank · 24 replies
    NM Spaceport Seeks Additional State Subsidies 9-26-18 Virgin Galactic is the lead tenant at the spaceport
  • Shipwrecked on Ten Islands With Clintons and Branson

    08/18/2018 3:10:38 PM PDT · by CincyRichieRich · 25 replies
    Corey's Digs ^ | 8-16-18 | Corey Lynn
    Bill Clinton was recently in Saint Lucia celebrating the new solar farm that the Clintons were instrumental in erecting.