• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

3

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

3

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
TechVirgin Galactic
Europe

Billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic saw a 400% jump in revenue, thanks to its space flights and ‘membership fees’ for astronauts-to-be

Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 2, 2023, 6:52 AM ET
A picture of Richard Branson on a phone screen against Virgin Galactic's logo
The space tourism company founded by British business magnate Richard Branson saw revenues surge in the second quarter of 2023.Pavlo Gonchar—SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Space travel company Virgin Galactic’s revenues have skyrocketed along with its first commercial space flights.

Recommended Video

The company founded by billionaire British mogul Richard Branson saw sales swell in the second quarter following the successes of its final test flight and first full-fledged commercial space mission. 

For the April to June period, Virgin Galactic brought in revenue of $1.9 million, up 432% from $357,000 during the same period last year.

The company attributed the surge in revenue to the new commercial spaceflights and to “future astronaut membership fees.” Virgin Galactic didn’t clarify what those fees entail and how they would be applied to its upcoming missions.

“During the quarter, we successfully completed two spaceflights in two months, including the launch of commercial service in late June with a scientific research mission,” Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said in a statement Tuesday. “Our financial position remains strong, and we remain focused on scaling the business.” 

Still losing money

Despite increasing revenues, the space tourism company continued to post astronomical losses. Its net loss stood at $134 million for the quarter, up from $111 million for the same period in 2022, due to “an increase in research and development expenses related to the development of the future fleet.”

The success of Virgin Galactic’s June space flight was a milestone for the company to bring its service to market, allowing more people to fly to space. The mission included a group of Italian researchers, who wore special suits to collect data on how their bodies react while in space. 

Virgin Galactic has another private mission launching next week, and expects to achieve the rough benchmark of $1 million in each of the remaining two quarters of 2023. 

Since it was founded in 2004, Virgin Galactic has worked toward making space tourism a reality where people can buy tickets to be on one of its weekly or monthly spacecrafts. In 2021, the Orange County, Calif.–based company received federal approval to fly people to space.

As of June, Virgin Galactic had sold about 800 tickets for its commercial flights—600 of them before 2014, for between $200,000 to $250,000 each, and 200 of them since then for $450,000 each, according to Al Jazeera. A number of A-list celebrities were among the initial group that bought tickets to eventual space missions, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Lady Gaga. 

Virgin Galactic did not immediately return Fortune’s request for comment.

The space tourism boom

Many companies have in recent times been vying for the lucrative space tourism market, including Tesla chief Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin even had neck-to-neck test flights in 2021 with their founders aboard—Branson wound up beating Bezos on a brief space trip. 

Despite the fascination of space tourism, there has also been an element of fear associated with adventure tours following the debacle with OceanGate, which saw its Titanic-bound submersible explode in June following safety lapses.

The parallels between commercial space travel and deep-sea exploration aren’t for nothing—they often boast wealthy customers who can afford the high ticket price and require meeting high safety standards. One of OceanGate’s passengers who lost his life on the submersible, Hamish Harding, was also a passenger on one of Blue Origin’s missions last year. 

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have had a few of their own catastrophes, but both companies have emphasized the importance of safety protocols and have had many successful missions with no casualties. The Federal Aviation Administration, a U.S. government body, is also working on devising a safety framework for commercial space flights.

Join our exclusive webinar on May 28, featuring tech leaders from Orange, Mars, Reckitt, and Saint-Gobain. Apply to attend and receive Fortune’s editorial takeaways.
About the Author
Prarthana Prakash
By Prarthana PrakashEurope Business News Reporter
LinkedIn icon

Prarthana Prakash was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

David Bennahum
CommentaryMedia
I was one of the internet’s first influencers. AI just killed the whole category — and created something better
By David S. BennahumMay 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Someone leafs through titles stacked in a library
AIResearch
AI hallucinations are infiltrating expert work—and entering the permanent body of knowledge
By Tristan BoveMay 24, 2026
2 hours ago
Marc Perry, Toyota Alabama president and Jack Crowley in the lab with the students.
AIJobs
As AI wipes out white-collar jobs, one Alabama high school and Toyota are training students for roles that pay $40 an hour and can’t be automated
By Jake AngeloMay 24, 2026
3 hours ago
It took over a decade, but NextDecade’s longshot bet to lead Texas LNG is finally paying off
EnergyLNG
It took over a decade, but NextDecade’s longshot bet to lead Texas LNG is finally paying off
By Jordan BlumMay 24, 2026
3 hours ago
w
Environmentclimate change
The asphalt industry has a heat problem — and cities are running out of patience
By Aya Diab, Alexa St. John and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
19 hours ago
SpaceX’s third-generation Starship, which NASA may use to put astronauts on the moon, makes debut in test flight ahead of blockbuster IPO
InnovationSpaceX
SpaceX’s third-generation Starship, which NASA may use to put astronauts on the moon, makes debut in test flight ahead of blockbuster IPO
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
20 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
3 days ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
AI
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
By Jake AngeloMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO filing just told us what business he's betting on for the future—and it's not rockets
Investing
Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO filing just told us what business he's betting on for the future—and it's not rockets
By Shawn TullyMay 23, 2026
1 day ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
7 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.