Sour grapes.

My thought exactly ttbn

This bloke stuffed his snout deep in the tax payer funded trough, & has done quite well out of it.

Branson & his mates bothered to find out what the average citizen wanted, supplied it, & made a huge fortune doing it.

Binoy's problem is that he wasn't smart enough to do the same.

O.K. big deal! But likely to pale into insignificance in a few short years with the development of a new electronic antigravity hyperdrive. That'll open up a highway to the stars and at speeds that may be just a tad under light speed?

How you may ask? By understanding that magnetic force is far stronger than gravity and may be harnessed to overcome it without all the lift-off speeds currently required to overcome gravity. And so as it goes up, so also shall it go down to land as lightly as thistledown!

Moreover, this new drive will operate 24/7 as it hurtles toward a destination, then at some predetermined point, reverses thrust to de-accelerate all while maintaining gravity normal inside a hull at least as large as the world's largest ship.

I expect such a vessel will be proceeded by a very large drone equipped with various sensors and weapons capable of destroying any unforeseen obstacle, so as to clear a pathway to the predetermined destination. These may be one-way exploration expeditions with drones sent back with any and all relevant info.

Furthermore, all while a hundred or more such vessels are launched to explore for new homes among the stars? And even at the speeds envisaged, need twenty or so years to reach the nearest star system, then twenty more to reach the next?

All while two or three hundred years pass on earth? And a warp drive is perfected to open up much much more and begin the next phase of humankind's expansion? And toward those destinations, the explorers have found as uninhabited suitable goldilocks targets for terraforming!?
Alan B.

Footnote. Such a drive could even move small nearby planets and asteroids etc to create oceans and supply minerals for required terraformation!

I expect such vessels shall carry deep-frozen seed banks and fetuses. Along with the test tube wombs and humanoid robot carers to turn them into very civilised and caring, decent, educated, erudite, knowledgeable humans? And as they grow other robots will plant/grow the seeds in suitable sites?

And create small expandable sites where humankind can survive and prosper!

Currently, the time scales envisaged wouldn't allow anything else than the above?

This is where the joy riding Sir Richard and co ought to be directing their considerable wealth!
Alan B.

I just wish I had the money to go for the ride
and see earth from outer space. How
could I possibly envy someone who
can? (Well, maybe just a little).
I remember the first time I went for a hot air balloon
ride - it was exhilarating. Getting out of your comfort zone
does wonders. Climbing a mountain may be hard - but oh the view
once you get to the top.

With global warming our most urgent problem, why are we giving egotistical billionaires carte blanche permission to escalate the world's carbon emissions purely in order to satisfy their drive for one-upmanship?