Richard Branson news stories on Newser

Ashton Kutcher Buys Ticket to Space

Rob Quinn — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:10:05 CDT

Ashton Kutcher has become the latest celebrity to shell out $200,000 for a ticket off the planet. The actor has been confirmed as the 500th customer to buy a ticket to space on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, MSNBC reports. Other customers reportedly include Tom Hanks, Katy Perry, Brad Pitt, Angelina...

Celebs Got Seat at State Dinner

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:34:08 CDT

British Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha were the honorees at last night's state dinner, but the real VIPs were the other 350-something people who managed to score a ticket. Among them: George Clooney (who sat next to Michelle Obama at the head table, but of course), Warren Buffett,...

Kate Winslet Dishes on Dramatic Rescue

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:56:05 CDT

Kate Winslet, actress, plastic surgery disavower , and hero , has spoken out after rescuing Richard Branson’s mother from a fire at the Virgin tycoon’s Caribbean home. “I’m just so glad that everyone is safe. And this very easily could not have been the case,” she tells the Daily Mail . “I will...

Kate Winslet Saves Richard Branson's Mom in Fire

Rob Quinn — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:40:05 CDT

Titanic star Kate Winslet appears to be a good person to have around during a real emergency. All 20 guests escaped unharmed after a fire ripped through Richard Branson's luxury home on a private Caribbean island early yesterday—including the billionaire's 90-year-old mother, who was carried to safety by Winslet....

Richard Branson Creating Lemur Island

Rob Quinn — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:03:47 CDT

Mogul Richard Branson has a spare Caribbean island that he's planning to turn over to some of the world's most endangered species. The billionaire plans to create a colony of lemurs on the undeveloped island in the British Virgin Islands. The primates are rapidly disappearing from their native Madagascar, and...

Branson to Pilot Sub to Deepest Spots on Earth

Rob Quinn — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:37:22 CDT

Billionaire adventurer Richard Branson has turned his attention to the least known part of our planet: the ocean. Branson unveiled plans yesterday to send a deep-sea submarine to five of the deepest points on Earth, reports the Los Angeles Times. Fellow adventurer Chris Welsh will pilot the craft to the...

Space Tourism May Warm Planet

Emily Rauhala — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:01:35 CDT

Space tourism may sound, well, out-of-this-world, but there is a good chance it will pollute this world, possibly contributing to global warming. As firms like Boeing prepare to launch space tourism businesses , a new study warns that the soot emitted by commercial rockets may get stuck in the stratosphere, notes...

Virgin Galactic Spacecraft Makes First Solo Flight

Rob Quinn — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 04:45:00 CDT

The world's first manned commercial spacecraft has reached a major milestone. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo was released from the mothership and completed its first solo glide flight over the Mojave Desert yesterday, Wired reports. The craft, which is undergoing rigorous testing ahead of plans to carry paying customers to space and...

Space Plane Takes First Test Flight

Harry Kimball — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:36:26 CDT

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo took to the skies for the first time yesterday over the Mojave Desert, an important step toward passenger flights in space in 2011. “This is a momentous day,” says Burt Rutan, who built the craft and its mothership for Richard Branson’s company. The combo flew for about...