Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British business billionaire, entrepreneur, and commercial astronaut. He formed the Virgin Group in the 1970s, which now oversees over 400 enterprises in diverse industries.
In March 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for “services to entrepreneurship.” He has become a recognized global personality for his efforts in retail, music, and transportation, as well as his appetite for adventure and humanitarian activity. He was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2007. Forbes projected Branson’s net worth to be $5.7 billion in July 2021.
On July 11, 2021, Branson flew as a passenger onboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22, a suborbital test flight for his spaceflight business Virgin Galactic. The mission lasted around an hour and reached a maximum height of 53.5 miles (86.1 km). Branson, at the age of 70, became the third oldest person to travel into space.
