Virgin Galactic Spaceship With Richard Branson on Board Touches Down; See Photos

Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity returned to Spaceport America after its first fully crewed test flight on July 11 in Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico. Virgin Galactic's founder was Richard Branson was also a part of the crew. (Image: AFP)

Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson strapped in and set off Sunday on his boldest adventure aboard his own winged rocket ship. A successful flight would vault the nearly 71-year-old Branson past fellow billionaire and rival Jeff Bezos, who is planning to fly to space in a craft of his own nine days from now. (Image: AFP)

“Congratulations to all our wonderful team at Virgin Galactic for 17 years of hard hard work to get us this far, Richard Branson said during a live feed as the VSS Unity spaceship glided back to Spaceport America in New Mexico. (Image: Reuters)

Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity, carrying Richard Branson and his crew, descends after reaching the edge of space above Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico in US on July 11. (Image: Reuters)

Richard Branson smiles on board Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity before starting its untethered ascent to the edge of space above Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences in US. (Image: Reuters)

Touch down occurred around 09:40 am Mountain Time (1540 GMT), about an hour after take-off. (Image: Reuters)

It reached a peak altitude of around 53 miles (85 kilometers), beyond the boundary of space according to the United States, allowing the passengers to experience weightlessness and admire the Earth's curvature. (Image: Reuters)