Richard Branson plans first space trip days before Jeff Bezos blasts off

Branson will evaluate the "private astronaut experience," the company said, as Virgin Galactic prepares to offer flights to well-heeled customers in 2022.

Richard Branson plans to fly to space on July 11, days before a similar journey by fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos. The shares of Branson’s Virgin Galactic Holdings surged.

The VSS Unity spacecraft will also carry three Virgin Galactic employees and two pilots from the launch site in New Mexico, according to a company statement Thursday. Bezos is planning a trip to space July 20 from nearby West Texas aboard a rocket made by Blue Origin, the Amazon.com founder’s space company.

Branson’s suborbital flight would fulfill a longtime goal for the UK billionaire and Virgin Galactic, which he founded in 2004. The company