Richard Branson takes off on trip to space; Netizens wish him well amid excitement

Billionaire Richard Branson has taken off and is on his way to fulfilling a lifetime's ambition of flying to the edge of space. On July 11 at 20:00hrs, his Virgin Galactic rocket plane took for a 1.5-hour mission in a bid to see the space at an altitude where the Earth's horizon curves are vivid despite the distance. The entrepreneur had said that he wanted to evaluate the experience before boarding paying customers next year.

While Richard Branson has already embarked on his journey to space, Blue Origin founder Bezos is set to travel nine days later. Both billionaires will travel aboard the company's New Shepard rocket. Also, Branson's team includes two Indians, namely, Shirisha Bandla who has become the second India-born astronaut after Kalpana Chawla to have reached space; and a Kerala-based travel documentary Santosh George will be the country's first space tourist while he will capture the unprecedented moment.

Interestingly, Virgin Galactic on Twitter provides live streaming of the whole experience. This can be reached at, 

Netizens wish well for Richard Branson & Virgin Galactic space flight's team

The mission above New Mexico began shortly after a delay due to weather conditions, and ahead of the farthest haul internet could not contain the buzz and excitement for the historic moment or marking the beginning of a new space era. Netizens wished him well and showcased their excitement as Richard Branson announced his departure on Twitter.

While few wished him in a simple "good luck" or "bon voyage" others highlighted the possibilities of the "extraordinary" dreams becoming reality.

Amounting to a thoughtful reply, a netizen drew parallel to his aspiration in his and meant that the event has encouraged him to dream too.