--- title: "Richard Branson Roasts Jeff Bezos Going to Space: “Jeff Who?”" description: "Following Virgin Orbit's successful launch of seven satellites earlier this morning, CEO Richard Branson threw a jab at the competition." date: "2021-06-30" modified: "2021-06-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/richard-branson-roasts-jeff-bezos" categories: - "Future Society" - "Jeff Bezos" - "Off-World" - "Space" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "blue origin" - "jeff bezos" - "richard branson" - "the digest" - "virgin galactic" - "virgin orbit" --- # Richard Branson Roasts Jeff Bezos Going to Space: “Jeff Who?” ![Following Virgin Orbit's successful launch of seven satellites earlier this morning, CEO Richard Branson threw a jab at the competition.]() *\Image: Virgin Orbit\* ## Jeff Who? Following Virgin Orbit's [successful launch]() of seven satellites via a rocket dropped from the wing of a Boeing 747 jet liner this morning, CEO Richard Branson threw a jab at the competition. During a [televised interview]() with *CNBC*'s Kelly Evans, the Virgin Group CEO made light of reports that Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos might beat him to space. "Are you trying to beat Jeff Bezos into space?" Kelly asked Branson. "Jeff who?" Branson replied. It's a moment of lightheartedness in the midst of a bona fide new space race — not to become the first nation to land astronauts on the surface of the Moon, but to become the first sucessful space tourism company. https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1410284974339723266 ## Space Race Earlier this month, [Bezos revealed]() that he and his brother will be traveling to the edge of outer space on July 20. "Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space," Bezos said in a statement at the time. A day later, [rumors started swirling]() that Branson may just beat him there, scheduling a trip to space on board his space company Virgin Galactic's spaceplane as soon as July 4. While both Blue Origin's New Shepard and Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo are technically capable of reaching space, they're both only able to fly to the internationally agreed upon edge of space, an altitude of 62 miles. ## Tight-Lipped The reports of Branson's imminent trip have yet to be confirmed — and even during today's interview, Branson remained tightlipped. "Because Virgin Galactic is a public company, I am not allowed to talk about that," Branson told *CNBC*. "I'm sure that at some stage I'll come and talk to you." But the 70-year-old is ready whenever. "When the engineers tell me I can go to space, I will go to space," he added. **More on Virgin Orbit:** *[Virgin Orbit Just Launched a Rocket Strapped to the Wing of a 747]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()