Branson announces Virgin Galactic will send tourists into space in 2018
It's been a long time coming but Richard Branson believes Virgin Galactic's first space tourists will take off in 2018, opening the final frontier up to tourism for the first time
Key takeaways
- The accident was a horrible setback, but the company seems to have learned important lessons moving forward, especially under former NASA chief of staff and current CEO George Whitesides.
- Safety standards have experienced a robust leap forward, and Virgin Galactic is enjoying a successful new round of testing, having just completing the third glide test of the new version of the SpaceShipTwo, the VSS Unity.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'Branson announces Virgin Galactic will send tourists into space in 2018', 311 Institute, 7 April. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/branson-announces-virgin-galactic-will-send-tourists-into-space-in-2018/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Wannabe space tourism company Virgin Galactic hasn’t exactly had the easiest time of things, originally, founder Richard Branson wanted the new company to be offering space flights in 2009, and then there was a deadly crash in the Mojave desert. But now, almost eight years on from his original deadline it looks like the company is almost there after Branson announced that they intend to offer the first flights in 2018. And, of course, Branson wants to be one of the first people to fly.
“Well we stopped giving dates,” he said, “but I think I’d be very disappointed if we’re not into space with a test flight by the end of this year and I’m not into space myself next year and the program isn’t well underway by the end of next year.”
“The test program is going really well,” he said, “and as long as we’ve got our brave test pilots pushing it to the limit we think that after whatever it is, 12 years of hard work, we’re nearly there.”
Virgin Galactic’s foray into the space industry was nearly permanently derailed by the October 2014 crash of the company’s SpaceShipTwo which resulted in the death of one of the aircraft’s two co-pilots.
The accident was a horrible setback, but the company seems to have learned important lessons moving forward, especially under former NASA chief of staff and current CEO George Whitesides.
Safety standards have experienced a robust leap forward, and Virgin Galactic is enjoying a successful new round of testing, having just completing the third glide test of the new version of the SpaceShipTwo, the VSS Unity.
Also, the launch of a new manufacturing division, The Spaceship Company, and the addition of Stephen Hawking as a ticket holder for one of the first flights into space are extremely encouraging signs the company is making effective strides.
The company has quite a way to go though before it can send humans up into the sky and guarantee a safe journey back, but with about 500 customers having already put down $250,000 each on a seat to go into space sometime soon, there doesn’t seem to be any turning back now. And when Virgin Galactic does finally crack the code it’ll open the doors to space tourism for all of us and I for one intend to be in that queue, that is after my crowdfunding campaign hits its $250,000 goal…
What this means for your organisation
Dates slipped by nearly a decade.
Flights were originally wanted in 2009, and Branson says the firm stopped giving dates after setbacks. Twelve years of work preceded this claim. Investors should treat founder timelines as intentions rather than forecasts.
Deposits create momentum.
About 500 customers have each put down $250,000, which means there is no obvious turning back. Prepaid demand sustains a project through delay. Leaders should note how customer commitment can carry a venture past missed dates.
Recovery is a management story.
After a fatal crash, safety standards took a leap forward under a chief executive drawn from a space agency, and testing resumed successfully. Leadership change was part of the recovery. Boards should ask who they would bring in after a serious failure.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Do we treat supplier timelines as intentions or forecasts?
- Could customer commitment carry us through a long delay?
- Who would we bring in to recover from a serious failure?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
It's been a long time coming but Richard Branson believes Virgin Galactic's first space tourists will take off in 2018, opening the final frontier up to tourism for the first time
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
What future do you need to see?
Choose one to get started on space and the future of your organisation.
Sources and further reading
- World us canada 29857182 bbc.co.uk
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 7 April 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Branson announces Virgin Galactic will send tourists into space in 2018. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/branson-announces-virgin-galactic-will-send-tourists-into-space-in-2018/
You are welcome to quote this article with credit and a link to the original.