-Virgin Galactic shares surged on Friday after the space tourism venture announced its next spaceflight test will carry founder Sir Richard Branson.
-Two pilots will fly spacecraft VSS Unity, carrying Branson alongside three Virgin Galactic employees, planning to launch on July 11.
-The launch marks an attempt to beat fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos. The latter announced in May that he will launch on his company Blue Origin’s first passenger spaceflight on July 20.