According to The Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk plans to launch into space aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity. The SpaceX CEO has reportedly made a $10,000 deposit to secure his seat.
Richard Branson and his team achieved a milestone this Sunday with Virgin Galactic's first official (non-test) crewed flight on VSS Unity. Branson and three colleagues experienced brief microgravity above 88 km before returning to Earth minutes later.
Over 500 spectators watched from Spaceport America in New Mexico, including Elon Musk. It's no surprise he's interested. A Virgin Galactic spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the SpaceX and Tesla leader has deposited $10,000 to book a future suborbital flight.
More than 600 aspiring space tourists have reservations, with tickets priced at around $250,000 each. Musk's exact position in line remains unclear.
This booking underscores Musk's strong alliance with Branson. "Thank you for being so supportive and such a good friend, Elon," Branson tweeted pre-flight. He also told the Sunday Times, "maybe I'll travel on one of his ships one day."
More notably, it serves as a direct snub to Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' venture and a key rival to both Virgin Galactic in space tourism and SpaceX in lunar missions.
Bezos himself will fly on Blue Origin's New Shepard for its first crewed mission on July 20, marking the 52nd anniversary of Apollo 11. Joining him: his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk, and an anonymous $28 million auction winner.
Given the intense rivalry between Musk and Bezos, a SpaceX exec boarding New Shepard seems highly unlikely.
