Game on—Sir Richard Branson will attempt to go to space on July 11

Enlarge / Sir Richard Branson takes off his button-front shirt to don a T-shirt that says "Future Astronaut Training Program" while Air and Space Museum Director Ellen Stofan looks on. The tee is given to him by Virgin Galactic Test Pilot Mark "Forger" Stucky. (credit: JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images)

On Thursday afternoon, Virgin Galactic said its founder, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, will attempt to go to space on July 11.

Dubbed the "Unity 22" mission, this flight on the VSS Unity spacecraft will carry a full crew of two pilots, Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, and four mission specialists, including Branson. "Building on the success of the company's most recent spaceflight in May, Unity 22 will focus on cabin and customer experience objectives," the company said in a statement.

Branson said:

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