Money makers: Branson heads for space

Richard Branson goes for astronaut training as his Virgin Galactic prepares to ferry passengers into space.

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Richard Branson will take his seat with five others
(Image credit: 2018 Getty Images)

"I'm going for astronaut training, I'm going for fitness training, centrifuge and other training, so that my body will hopefully cope well when I go to space," Richard Branson told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme last week. "There are exciting times ahead." Ever since Bransonfounded Virgin Galactic in 2004, the British entrepreneur has dreamed of ferrying passengers into space. By the end of this year, he is set to have taken his place on SpaceShipTwo alongside five other passengers, paying $250,000 each. Pop star Justin Bieber, one of many A-listers who have booked a space flight, could be among them.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.