Space tourism: Sir Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos ready for their first trip

US business mogul Sir Richard Branson has announced to fly to the edge of space on July 11 or before that. He will be aboard the Unity rocket plane that his Virgin Galactic company has been developing for nearly two decades. The rocket can climb to an altitude of 90km (295,000ft), giving those onboard a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of the curvature of the Earth.

According to BBC, some 600 individuals have lodged deposits to take the ride.

Branson told BBC: “I truly believe that space belongs to all of us. After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the Universe to humankind and change the world for good.”

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Virgin Galactic was granted commercial spaceflight licence by the Federal Aviation Administration last week. July 11 is the opening of what’s termed a flight “window”. The team will aim to make the ascent on that day, but it could of course be delayed because of unfavourable weather conditions or perhaps a technical issue. If things go as planned, Branson will beat Bezos in the commercial spaceflight business.

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark; a mystery person who paid $28m (£20m) at auction for a seat; and the famed female aviator Wally Funk will fly into space on July 20.

Space tourism is a sector that is being rekindled after a decade’s hiatus.

Throughout the 2000s, seven wealthy individuals visited the International Space Station (ISS) with the help of the Russian space agency.

California tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has already lined up several private missions in his Dragon capsules.