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Richard Branson and Elon Musk—friends, billionaires and new space race pioneers—spend Sunday morning together ahead of Branson's space flight. (Richard Branson/Twitter)
Elon Musk has a ticket to space. But it's not from his own aerospace venture.
The SpaceX CEO and second richest person in the world has purchased a ticket to space—which retails for $250,000— from fellow billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.
Branson made headlines on Sunday, when he became the first person to ride into space aboard a rocket he helped fund, as reported by CNN. His company, Virgin Galactic, is competing with SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to become the first commercial spaceline. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is slated to take a similar flight on July 20.
Musk's support extends beyond his ticket purchase. He joined Branson on the morning of the launch, appearing in a photo with bare feet and no hard feelings. "Elon's a friend and maybe I'll travel on one of his ships one day," Branson told London's The Sunday Times.
Big day ahead. Great to start the morning with a friend. Feeling good, feeling excited, feeling ready.
Watch #Unity22 launch and livestream TODAY at 7:30 am PT | 10:30 am ET | 3:30 pm BST.@virgingalactic @elonmusk https://t.co/1313b4RAKI pic.twitter.com/FRQqrQEbH8
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) July 11, 2021
There is perhaps less collegiality between Branson and Bezos, with Blue Origin pointing out on Twitter that the Virgin Galactic spaceship did not reach the Karman line, 62 miles above sea level, which is the internationally recognized threshold for where space begins. Bezos did however wish Branson "best of luck" on Instagram, ahead of the Virgin Galactic mission.
From the beginning, New Shepard was designed to fly above the Kármán line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name. For 96% of the world's population, space begins 100 km up at the internationally recognized Kármán line. pic.twitter.com/QRoufBIrUJ
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) July 9, 2021
Meanwhile, it may not be too long before Musk boards his own spaceship.
SpaceX regularly carries astronauts to and from the International Space Station for NASA and is in the process of building spaceships that can reach Mars. But the company's first private flight—which it has dubbed the world's first all-civilian mission—is scheduled to launch in September.
Although it is scheduled to take place months after those of Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, the SpaceX mission will be a more robust trip, circling the planet for three days rather than only spending a few minutes above the edge of Earth's atmosphere as with Branson and Bezos' flights, as reported by the Verge.
The three flights do have something else in common, however. Each will include a billionaire: Branson, Bezos and—in the case of the SpaceX mission—benefactor and Shift4 Payments founder Jared Isaacman. He will be joined by cancer survivor and physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux, geoscientist and communications specialist Dr. Sian Proctor, and Lockheed Martin employee and U.S. Air Force veteran Christopher Sembroski, who were chosen via an online competition.
The billionaire space race—in which Branson, Bezos and Musk compete for the nascent space tourism industry and acclaim—has drawn criticism from some, including former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who says its financial extravagance and environmental impact are inexcusable in a time of widening wealth inequality and worsening climate change.
But Musk is a vocal defender, tweeting on Monday that space inspires hope.
Is anyone else alarmed that billionaires are having their own private space race while record-breaking heatwaves are sparking a 'fire-breathing dragon of clouds' and cooking sea creatures to death in their shells?
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 8, 2021
those who attack space
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2021
maybe don’t realize that
space represents hope
for so many people
In addition to commercial space travel and its Starship rideshare-to-Mars program, SpaceX is also developing Starlink, a high-speed, low-latency satellite internet service enabled by a constellation of more than 1,700 low Earth satellites. With plans to open a factory in Austin, Starlink could help serve the world's most remote populations—and bring in revenue to help fund the company's other ventures.
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Popular
Austin FC kept rival FC Dallas to a draw Saturday night as it pulled off a 2-2 comeback. (Austin FC/Twitter)
Despite a 2-0 deficit, there was a pot of gold for Austin FC after all as it celebrated its annual Pride Night with rainbows and a 2-2 comeback draw to FC Dallas Saturday night.
After three FC Dallas losses last season, the Dallas derby draw marks the first time Austin FC has tied against its Copa Texas rival. Austin continues to edge over FC Dallas as it sits at 3rd in the MLS West.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the match:
A somber start
¡Ya Basta! Enough! End Gun Violence. #uvaldestrong
— Los Verdes (@LosVerdesATX) June 26, 2022
📷 @arubiophotos pic.twitter.com/3PiVdTPtik
Decked out in colorful hues for LBGTQ+ Pride, Verde fans started the match on a somber note as they held up banners to take a stand against gun violence before the match.
As the national anthem began, fans held up banners with the names of each child that was killed in the Uvalde school shooting and a plea to "end gun violence."
The supporters' section was also dotted with Pride flags and a "Bans off Our Bodies" banner in protest of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
(Claire Partain/Austonia)
(Claire Partain/Austonia)
FC Dallas earns a 2-0 lead
Paul Arriola is there to put it away and put @FCDallas ahead! pic.twitter.com/Z4AMmM6lp3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
That sober tone continued onto the pitch. With midfielder Daniel Pereira's absence due to a red card, the Verde and Black lost two goals to FC Dallas by the 70th minute of play.
FC Dallas played it sneaky for the first half of the match, giving Austin FC plenty of room to hold possession as it waited to strike on a Verde error. That mentality proved dangerous for Austin as Dallas' Paul Arriola took advantage of Brad Stuver's deflection to score the first goal of the night in the 57th minute of play.
Dallas struck once more as Brandon Servant pushed past the Verde line to score the second goal of the match.
#DTID double their lead!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
The substitute Brandon Servania with a fine finish within five minutes of coming on. 💥 pic.twitter.com/IZm0YsPxG5
Austin FC strikes back
Sebastián Driussi pulls one back!#AustinFC are still in this one. 👀 pic.twitter.com/Yoi0x768jb
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
But energy quickly returned to Austin's favor thanks to Designated Player Sebastian Driussi, who scooted past several FC Dallas defenders alongside Moussa Djitte to snag an unlikely first goal for Austin.
A full Verde comeback
Late drama in this Texas Derby!@AustinFC ties it up, Danny Hoesen with the diving header. 😱 pic.twitter.com/Jk2f4fIEXG
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
Austin's subs proved deadly as momentum returned to the home team toward the end of the match. A well-placed cross from Nick Lima—and a diving header from a fresh-legged Danny Hoesen—helped the team secure the draw with a second Verde goal in the 84th minute of play.
Hoesen, who was Austin's first starting striker last season, has now scored two goals with the team after a yearlong injury stuck him on the bench.
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(Bob Daemmrich)
Hours following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion, on Friday, about 1,000 people gathered in Republic Square with signs calling for change.
The rally, organized by the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Texas, started at the federal courthouse on Republic Square on Friday at 5 p.m. before the crowd marched to the Texas Capitol. More protests are expected to ensue over the weekend.
People showed up with all types of signs like Mindy Moffa holding up, "Keep your filthy laws off my silky drawers."
Austin joined cities across the country that saw protests for a women's right to an abortion after the ruling.
According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
Sabrina Talghade and Sofia Pellegrini held up signs directed at Texas laws. A Texas trigger law will ban all abortions from the moment of fertilization, starting 30 days after the ruling. When state legislators passed the trigger law last summer, it also passed laws for more protection of firearms, including the right to open carry without a permit.
Lili Enthal of Austin yells as around 1,000 Texans marched to the Texas Capitol.
From the Texas Capitol, Zoe Webb lets her voice be heard against the Supreme Court ruling.
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