Richard Branson plans to beat Jeff Bezos to space.
Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. on Thursday said Mr. Branson plans to board a flight that will launch for space on July 11, assuming the weather permits and there are no technical problems.
The launch would be nine days before Mr. Bezos, the outgoing chief executive at Amazon.com Inc., is expected to do so on a craft operated by the space company he founded, Blue Origin. A spokeswoman for Blue Origin couldn’t be reached.
The planned launches ferrying both men and their fellow crewmates highlight the competition between Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin to the edge of space. Passengers on suborbital flights may pay significant amounts to experience weightlessness and see Earth from vantage points few have witnessed.
Virgin Galactic executives have said in the past that trips could cost less than $500,000, but the company hasn’t disclosed prices for commercial service it hopes to launch next year.
