Billionaire Richard Branson made history on Sunday as he was launched into space aboard his own company's rocket, Virgin Galactic's Unity 22, kicking off the era of space tourism.
The spacecraft VSS Unity launched above New Mexico carrying Branson and three Virgin Galactic employees after decades of work and billions of dollars in investments.
Rival space company Blue Origin is set to launch its founder Jeff Bezos into space on July 20. Bezos wished Branson and his team a "successful and safe flight" before today's launch.