Virgin Galactic may not be the winner of the overall private space race but, in terms of the billionaire who first reached the outer limits of Earth's atmosphere, Branson managed to beat Bezos to the title by just nine days.

The world was watching when the momentous launch went ahead as planned on 11 July 2021. Landing back on Earth, Branson described it as the "experience of a lifetime".

You might be able to share in that experience: Branson announced in February 2022 that Virgin Galactic tickets were going up for sale once more.

There is one catch, though. Perhaps predictably, a ticket isn't cheap, and you'll need an eye-watering $450,000 (£370.6k) to secure your trip to the stars. Maybe it's time to sell the house...

It's not just billionaires who are reaching for the stars: find out more about the modern-day space race.

The billionaires' space race between Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson, and Elon Musk