Billionaires’ race to space is the epitome of tone deaf

Natasha Pszenicki
WEST END FINAL

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Even though a month ago I’d never even heard of the Euros and couldn’t pick Jack Grealish out of a line up, I am now a certified footie lad, so I too woke up yesterday with an overwhelming sense of dread.

It’s safe to say we all need a bit of cheering up. So perhaps we can all unite behind the hilarious news that Sir Richard Branson has shot himself into space, and nobody even noticed.

Perhaps it was a secret mission, you may be wondering. Au contraire — the launch was hosted by Stephen Colbert, with a performance by singer Khalid. It’s just that the majority of the country spent the afternoon watching drunk men roll around central London smashing bottles on their heads.

In fact, the only rocket launch I was aware of was that of a flare erupting from a middle aged man’s backside (if you don’t know, it’s probably best to keep it that way). Yes, Branson picked the day of the Euro 2020 and men’s Wimbledon final to launch his space debut in the Virgin Galactic rocket plane, which his company has been developing for 17 years.

What’s even better is that he didn’t even get to space, he just went near it.

Something Branson’s rival billionaire would-be astronaut Jeff Bezos, who is coincidentally going to space in a week’s time, has been keen to point out. The Kármán line, the internationally recognised threshold where space is said to begin, is 62 miles above Earth, and Branson’s craft only got to 53 miles. Bezos is set to go 12 miles higher.

While it’s mildly entertaining to watch a “whose is bigger” contest between two über-rich rocket-owners, it’s also the epitome of tone deaf, particularly when the climate crisis is ravaging the United States. The west coast is experiencing record-breaking drought and temperatures, and last week Bezos’s hometown of Seattle reached 108F (42C). Hurricane season is starting early, and a once-in-200-years flood just hit northern Mississippi.

On top of this, a year after Branson asked the Government to bail out his airline, it takes some brass neck to launch a multi-billion-pound space expedition. So I hope you’ll forgive me for having a chuckle at his expense.

Did you notice that Branson had gone to space? Let us know in the comments below.

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