'A historic day': Fort Bend County judge reacts to Branson's space flight

Billionaire Richard Branson made history on July 11 when he and five crew members of the Virgin Galactic Unity crew rocketed far enough above the desert of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to experience weightlessness and see the curve of the earth.

The Associated Press reports that during the flight, Branson and crew members got as high as 53.5 miles above the desert and experienced nearly four minutes of weightlessness. The journey took about 15 minutes, according to the AP.

Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George responded to Branson’s feat in a July 11 tweet.

“What a historic day! The next chapter in our aviation journey as Virgin Galactic has officially launched the first commercial space craft.  As we look beyond our horizon, let us celebrate the new heights we shall reach! #VirginGalactic #Space,” George wrote.

“The whole thing, it was just magical,” Branson said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Branson’s accomplishment makes history, and beats a rival, billionaire Jeff Bezos, who also aspires to make space tourism a reality.

But, Bezos sent his own congratulations, the Associated Press reported. 

“Can’t wait to join the club,” Bezos said.

In a July 12 interview, NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer discussed the significance of Branson’s commercial flight to space with Nicholas Schmidle, staff writer for the New Yorker who spent four years reporting on Virgin Galactic.

This flight was a milestone for many reasons, including that Branson took a massive step toward achieving a dream of his, taking passengers to the edge of space, Schmidle said.

Branson created Virgin Galactic in 2004, and customers have been putting down deposits to secure their opportunities to go to space – there are currently 600 individuals who have put down deposits up to $250,000, and this achievement proved that it is possible.

The crew members with Branson on his flight were all Virgin Galactic employees, according to NPR.