EXPLAINER: How Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson will ride own rocket to space on July 11

British billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson is set to become the world’s first rocket company boss to launch into space. The self-described adventurer assigned himself to the full-scale crew for Sunday’s test flight from New Mexico's southern desert surpassing both Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in the feat.

Although, the question arises how does the London-based founder of the Virgin Group plan to realize his “dream of a lifetime” to launch into space himself along with the 5 crew members? When asked by reporters, the longtime fitness fanatic, who will turn 71 in just a week, said that he is “not apprehensive at all”, adding that he had made tremendous efforts to prepare for the long-awaited test flight.

Branson had earlier revealed that his firm has a “step-by-step cautious approach” for launching the upcoming test flight. In a televised interview for CNBC at “Power Lunch”, Branson had said that his company will do “whatever it takes to make absolutely certain that we’ve put everything to bed” before launching the civilians into the commercial space journey. On Oct. 3, 2014, the Virgin galactic has had a fatal Enterprise spacecraft crash, and thereafter the commercial spaceline firm had to resort to making seven glide tests before it attempted the rocket-powered flight.

[Richard Branson in front of Virgin Galactic’s Unity spacecraft. Credit: Virgin Galactic]

[Virgin Galacticcrew. Credit: AP/ File]

The founder of the Virgin Galactic revealed that soon after he had first strapped in for a ride on Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft for operation from Spaceport America in New Mexico, the public will be launched next. Branson was speaking from Mojave Air and Space Port in the California desert. 

In a statement to the Associated Press on Friday, Branson said, “I’m in my 70s now so you either let yourself go or you get fit and enjoy life.” Of course, the flight would undergo extensive checks before Branson goes up. The firm did mention that upon successful flight completion, Virgin Galactic will have three spaceships operating from New Mexico for taking people up, the company has an estimated 600 would-be astronauts signed on to those launches. The tickets will be priced at $250,000 per flight. 

On July 9 as Branson will brace up to take off into space leaving behind his rival Jeff Bezos by approximately 9 days onboard a dual-fuselage VSS Unity rocket plane nicknamed Eve [Branson’s late mother’s name], while his wife, children, and grandchildren witness the historic liftoff. “I’ll be looking back at our beautiful Earth and taking it all in and realize that only 500 other people have done this. Closer to 600, actually, but still a relatively small number. Upon landing, he’ll celebrate with “a great, great grin on my face,” he was quoted as saying by AP. 

At least two pilots will take charge of the rocket plane, mothership pilots C.J. Sturckow, a former NASA astronaut, and Kelly Latimer. Among others joining Branson are chief pilot David Mackay, a Scottish-born test pilot for the Royal Air Force, and chief flight instructor Michael Masucci. The other crew includes Chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses, a former NASA engineer, who would be launching the second time, lead operations engineer Colin Bennett and Sirisha Bandla, a vice president. 

"I truly believe that space belongs to all of us," Branson said in a statement. "After more than 16 years of research, engineering, and testing, Virgin Galactic stands at the vanguard of a new commercial space industry, which is set to open space to humankind and change the world for good."

To begin commercial operations by 2022

The plane will fly approximately 50,000 feet (15,000 meters), as it will shot by the rocket motor on a steep climb exceeding 3 G’s, or three times the force of Earth’s gravity. The plane is expected to hit 55 miles (88 kilometers) in height into the black void of space then conclude about 15 minutes of free flight by folding up its wings, then folding them back down in a unique technique known as feathering, as seen in NASA’s space shuttles.

Branson would have made record being the first boss on to a space journey just days ahead of Amazon boss Bezos’ take off with aviation pioneer Wally Funk his brother Mark, and one other yet to be announced the winner from an online auction. Bezos’ will take off on July 20 on Blue origin’s New Shepard spacecraft. While Blue Origin is yet to make an announcement on ticket pricing when commercial space travel opens to the tourists, Virgin Galactic plans to officially begin operations by 2022.