Richard Branson says he isn’t in a race with Jeff Bezos. But, like, come on

This weekend, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, is attempting to become the first billionaire to strap himself to a rocket branded with the company he founded and hurtle himself into space.

If all goes as planned, Branson’s flight will beat fellow space baron Jeff Bezos’s trip by just nine days. (Branson swears he didn’t time his trip to beat Bezos but, like, come on.)

The British mogul will take off about a week before his 71st birthday, from a facility in a small town called — I kid you not — Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Anyway, it goes without saying that this is a big stunt with countless ways to go belly up. Virgin Galactic has multiple safety redundancies in place, and it’s completed 20 test flights, though only three of those of have reached the edge of space. And it’s hard to imagine Branson won’t be sitting on that desert launch pad in ToC (as I imagine the locals call it), remembering the company’s 2014 crash that…

Read more…