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☆ Branson, Virgin Group reputations at centre of $250 mln London court clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - British billionaire Richard Branson severely damaged Virgin Group's reputation by residing in a tax haven while UK-based airline Virgin Atlantic sought a government bailout during the pandemic, according to internal Virgin emails cited in a $250 million London lawsuit on Monday. The emails were cited by lawyers for U.S. train operator Brightline, which is being sued by the Virgin Group after cancelling a deal to use the Virgin brand in 2020, just over 18 months after it was signed. Under the deal Brightline operated a rail line in Florida using the name Virgin Trains USA. Brightline's lawyers cited internal Virgin Group emails describing group founder Branson being based in the British Virgin Islands for tax purposes as "a reputation killer", while one email from an external public relations adviser said: "Richard needs to show he's not a ruthless, tax-evading billionaire." In an April 2020 email, Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss referred to Branson's tax residency in relation to the request for a bailout, saying: "Richard cannot escape the criticism.

Persons: Richard Branson, Brightline, Branson, Richard, Josh Bayliss, Daniel Toledano, Virgin Atlantic's, Brightline's, Nigel Tozzi, Sam Tobin, Susan Fenton Organizations: Virgin Atlantic, U.S, Virgin Group, Virgin, Virgin Trains, British Virgin Islands, Real Madrid, Thomson Locations: Florida, British Virgin, Britain, United States, Barcelona, Bay

☆ Opinion: The cavalry won’t be coming to rescue you in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Opinion Leroy Chiao | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —As the world grapples with the implosion of the Titan submersible, commercial space companies are pressing ahead with plans to offer short hop adventures beyond the skies. Another company, Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, already has flown several paying customers to suborbital space. Visitors to suborbital space will also experience microgravity and the beautiful view of the Earth from space. The answer is I might have – if I had the financial means and had not already had my NASA spaceflight experiences. The key thing for any would-be passenger planning to board commercial vehicles to space or in the ocean is informed consent.

Persons: Leroy Chiao, Richard Branson’s Virgin, Jeff Bezos, SpaceX’s, I’ve Organizations: OneOrbit, NASA, Russian Soyuz, International Space, Safety, SpaceX, Council, White, Spaceflight, CNN, Titan, Italian Air Force, Virgin Galactic, Boeing, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Russian

☆ Stocks making the biggest premarket moves: Joby, Micron, Wells Fargo, Freyr Battery and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Check out the companies making the biggest moves in premarket trading. Joby Aviation — Joby shares gained another 17% premarket. The aviation company announced a $100 million equity investment from South Korea's SK Telecom, expanding an existing partnership. Wells Fargo , JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America — The banks moved higher after passing the Federal Reserve's annual stress test Wednesday. Wells Fargo and Bank of America gained nearly 2%, while JPMorgan rose 1.6%.

Persons: Wells, Charles Schwab —, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Berkshire Hathaway, Overstock, Richard, —, Macheel, Jesse Pound, Sarah Min, Michael Bloom, Brian Evans Organizations: Aviation, New York Stock Exchange, Joby, South Korea's SK Telecom, Micron Technology, Micron, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Federal, JPMorgan, Citizens, Providence, Occidental Petroleum —, Petroleum, Berkshire, Warren Buffett, Virgin Galactic —, Virgin Galactic Locations: New York, South, Wells Fargo, Providence , Rhode Island, Wednesday's, Virgin

☆ Live updates: Virgin Galactic completes first commercial spaceflight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People react as the passenger rocket plane operated by Virgin Galactic takes off, during the company's first commercial flight to the edge of space, at the Spaceport America facility, in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, U.S., June 29, 2023. Space tourism company Virgin Galactic , founded by Sir Richard Branson in 2004, completed its long-awaited first commercial spaceflight, called "Galactic 01," on Thursday. The three paying passengers are members of the Italian Air Force. Virgin Galactic's start to commercial service comes after years of delays and setbacks. Virgin Galactic has a backlog of about 800 passengers.

Persons: Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic's Organizations: Virgin Galactic, America, Space, Italian Air Force, Virgin, VSS Unity Locations: New Mexico, U.S

The flight marks a decisive moment for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson in 2004, as it inaugurates commercial service following several years fraught with development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. Virgin Galactic has said it has already booked a backlog of some 800 customers, charging from $250,000 to $450,000 per seat, and envisions eventually building a large enough fleet to accommodate 400 flights annually. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Italy, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, VSS Unity, International Space, Air Force, America, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, Italy, British, Italian, Los Angeles

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years of fraught by development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe, Branson, Burt Rutan, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Virgin, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, VSS Unity, America, Galactic, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, . Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Los Angeles

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years fraught by development setbacks. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

☆ Virgin Galactic launches first paying customers to the edge of space
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Virgin Galactic, the venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, successfully launched its first paying customers to the edge of space — a milestone two decades in the making. (Future Virgin Galactic flights, however, are expected to include a range of high-profile customers.) Bennett’s role was to assess the comfort and function of the flight, using that information to inform future changes Virgin Galactic might make to its rocket-powered space plane, VSS Unity. Organizations such as NASA have routinely flown experiments on suborbital rockets, including Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin missions. In a tragic 2014 accident, Virgin Galactic’s space plane broke apart during flight, killing the mission’s copilot, Michael Alsbury.

Persons: Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic’s, Jeff Bezos’s, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Colin Bennett, Pantaleone, Branson, Burt Rutan, Paul Allen, Hamish Harding, Michael Alsbury, — Organizations: CNN, Virgin Galactic, Italian Air Force, Virgin, SpaceX, Italy’s National Research Council, Branson, VSS, VSS Unity, NASA, International, National Research Council, Microsoft, Galactic, OceanGate, Scaled Composites, Origin, Congress, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Locations: British, New Mexico, United States

The flight, dubbed Galactic 01, comes two years after Branson himself rode along with five other Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE.N) personnel for the company's first fully crewed test spaceflight of its rocket plane, VSS Unity. Back then, Virgin Galactic officials said they expected to begin regular commercial operations in 2022 following additional test flights. Virgin Galactic had projected booking its first 1,000 paying customers, charging about $250,000 per seat, by the time commercial service opened. An earlier prototype of Virgin Galactic's rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another. Billionaire rival Jeff Bezos, whose astro-tourist venture Blue Origin has already flown several commercial passenger flights, has disparaged Virgin Galactic as falling short of a true spaceflight experience.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe Skipper, Branson, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson's, Jeff Bezos, Virgin, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin, Unity, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc, VSS, Galactic, SpaceX, Origin, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, . Air Force, America, Corporate, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Branson, Bezos, Los Angeles

Some billionaires rocketed into space as Branson and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have. Other rich travelers journeyed on a submersible to explore the wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic. For $250,000 to $300,000 a trip, Kent sometimes fields unusual requests including helping a Saudi prince fulfill his dream of flying a plane onto and off of an aircraft carrier. The experience was so demanding that Ackman's father expressed concern about the intended trip, not for his son but for another fund manager who had signed up to go. One person familiar with that excursion said it probably wouldn't happen again, in part because it was such a potentially risky undertaking.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Richard Branson, Branson, Jeff Bezos, ”, Alexandre Cymbalista, Geoffrey Kent, Kent, Goldman Sachs, Monica Heslington, Goldman, Melissa Biggs Bradley, Massimo Bottura, Bill Ackman, Whitney Tilson, Tilson, Ackman, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Tatiana Bautzer, Julia Harte, Nupur Anand, Paritosh Bansal, Anna Driver Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, Virgin Galactic, Virgin Group, Amazon, Wall Street, Abercrombie, Kent, Credit Suisse, SPECIAL, Goldman, Art Basel, Rubell Museum, Bank of America, Indagare, Ferrari, Navy, Svea, Thomson Locations: Nice, France, New York City, Branson, safaris, Botswana, Kent, Saudi, Africa, Miami, Art Basel, Modena, Italian, Mongolia, California

☆ Stockton Rush: What we know about the Titan submersible's pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rush has approached his dream of deep-sea exploration with child-like verve and an antipathy toward regulations — a pattern that has come into sharp relief since Sunday night, when his vessel, the Titan, went missing. But in 2004, he told Smithsonian, the dream shifted after Richard Branson launched the first commercial aircraft into space. “I had this epiphany that this was not at all what I wanted to do,” Rush told the magazine. The commercial sub industry is “obscenely safe” he told Smithsonian, “because they have all these regulations. He also asked Rush about what the vessel’s “MacGyvery” components — like the plastic PlayStation controller and LED lights that Rush bought from an RV retailer.

Persons: Jacques Cousteau, Rush, MacArthur, you’re, ” Rush, Alan Estrada, ”, Richard Branson, Kirk, OceanGate, Greg Gilbert, Estrada, “, David Lochridge, OceanGate hasn’t, David Pogue, You’re, Pogue, plumb, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, Celina Tebor, Sam Delouya Organizations: New, New York CNN, Stockton Rush, verve, Princeton, Smithsonian Magazine, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, UC Berkeley, Smithsonian, Enterprise, OceanGate, Everett, NASA, CBS, Boeing, University of Washington, USA, Michelin Locations: New York, Seattle, Washington

☆ OceanGate Expeditions' Titanic tourism is a thing, and it's dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But for those willing to shell out, tourism and research company OceanGate Expeditions offered eight-day missions that allow customers to explore the Titanic more than 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface using five-seat carbon fiber and titanium underwater vessels. OceanGate launched successful expeditions to the Titanic wreckage in 2021 and 2022. Geoffrey Kent, the founder of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, has recently planned trips for clients including race car driving on ice in Finland and orangutan trekking in Borneo. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush has also repeatedly claimed that existing submersible regulations needlessly prioritize passenger safety over commercial innovation. But it also hasn’t innovated or grown—because they have all these regulations,” Rush said in an interview that appeared in a June 2019 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

Persons: –, ”, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, Andrea Doria, Bill Sikes, Rush, Knight Frank, “, Gideon Kimbrell, Everest’s, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Geoffrey Kent, Sal Mercogliano, hasn’t, It’s, ” Rush, David Pogue, don’t, “ Don’t, ” It’s, D’Annunzio, Ann Epting, Epting, Brad Lendon, Parija Kavilanz Organizations: CNN, OceanGate Expeditions, US Coast Guard, Expeditions, Stockton Rush, Rescuers, OceanGate Foundation, Virgin Galactic, Virgin, VSS Unity, Origin, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Abercrombie, Kent, Campbell University, Smithsonian Magazine, CBS, Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, FAA, Kent’s, Abercrombie & Kent Locations: Everett , Washington, Boston, Stockton, Finland, Borneo, North Carolina, Oman

☆ From Titanic tours to space exploration: extreme tourism is on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Kukenan (L) and Roraima mounts are seen from the Tec Camp, near Venezuela's border with Brazil January 14, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File PhotoJune 21 (Reuters) - The $250,000-a-head expedition that vanished this week en route to the deep-sea wreck of the Titanic ocean liner is just one example of extreme tourism that is becoming more commonplace for those who can afford it. Branson's Virgin Galactic Holdings said last week its first commercial spaceflight, called "Galactic 01", would launch between June 27 and June 30. Before he set his sights on space, Branson was one of an elite group of extreme hot-air balloon travelers, becoming the first to traverse the Pacific Ocean in a balloon in 1991. Reporting by Julia Harte; editing by Donna Bryson and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Branson, Arthur Conan Doyle's, Julia Harte, Donna Bryson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Tec, REUTERS, SPACE, Virgin Galactic Holdings, SpaceX, Heli, Thomson Locations: Roraima, Venezuela's, Brazil, Indian Kashmir, India, Pakistan, New Delhi, Mount Roraima, Venezuela

☆ Housing market inventory keeps declining and that's bad news for homebuyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

We're revisiting housing inventory today because it's one of the key sticking points that's keeping home prices elevated and buyers wary. Get this: The housing market today has 39% fewer homes for sale than before the pandemic. Mortgage rates are currently about double what they were in 2021, when ultra-low rates fueled a home-buying boom. That could help influence mortgage rates to go even higher this year. People who are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for mortgage rates to decline, should know that's unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future."

Persons: I'm Phil Rosen, Jerome Powell, Joe Raedle, There's, Powell, Redfin's Chen Zhao, Edward Seiler, Tweet, JIM WATSON, Morgan Stanley, Steve Eisman, Larry Summers, Richard Branson's, Phil Rosen, Max Adams, Hallam Bullock Organizations: realtors, Mortgage Bankers Association, US, Getty, Fed, FedEx, Nvidia, Bloomberg, Treasury, Virgin Galactic Locations: homebuilding, New York, London

☆ The Space Industry Is Taking Off. Space Law Is Still a Mystery.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Ephrat Livni | Sarah Kessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are racing to establish a presence in space. It’s not clear what the rules are, even as the $460 billion space industry is growing quickly. Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded by Mr. Branson, announced on Thursday that it would launch its first commercial spaceflight this month, joining Mr. Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Mr. Musk’s SpaceX in sending ticketed passengers to space. But travel is just one emerging corner of the industry, which is mostly fueled by U.S. and international government contracts. “We didn’t want to bring the Cold War into space,” Michelle Hanlon, co-director of the air and space law program at the University of Mississippi, told DealBook.

Persons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Branson, Bezos, Musk’s, ” Michelle Hanlon, DealBook Organizations: Virgin Galactic, Mr, Musk’s SpaceX, Orbital Assembly, Citigroup, Soviet Union, United Nations, University of Mississippi Locations: U.S, United States, Soviet

☆ Virgin Galactic plans first commercial space service for June; shares take off
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 15 (Reuters) - Virgin Galactic Holdings (SPCE.N), the space tourism firm founded by Richard Branson, said on Thursday its long-awaited commercial spaceflight service would launch later this month, sending its shares up over 55% in trading after the bell. The first spaceflight, called "Galactic 01", is planned between June 27 and June 30, the company said. Shares of Virgin Galactic had lost over two-thirds of their value last year due to delays in the company's launch of commercial service. But in February, it said it had completed a lengthy upgrade period for its centerpiece tourist spacecraft, clearing the path for its first commercial spaceflight. The first commercial mission will carry three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy to conduct microgravity research, Virgin Galactic said.

Persons: Richard Branson, Chavi Mehta, Pooja Desai, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Virgin Galactic Holdings, Virgin Galactic, VSS Unity, Italian Air Force, National Research Council, Thomson Locations: Italy, Bengaluru

☆ Virgin Galactic surges 47% as Richard Branson's space tourism company preps first commercial flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Max Adams | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Virgin Galactic soared on Friday on news the company was readying commercial flights. After years of delays, the first flight will take place on June 27, with another scheduled for August. The stock spiked 47% Friday, but is still trading far below highs reached in 2021. Billionaire Richard Branson's space company announced that the first flight, dubbed Galactic 01, is scheduled between June 27 and June 30. Virgin Galactic is trading far below highs reached in 2021, when the stock was trading at nearly $60 per share.

Persons: —, Richard Branson's, Branson, Virgin Galactic's Organizations: Virgin Galactic, Service, Wall Street, Galactic, Virgin Locations: Thursday's

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Don’t fight the Fed? What Fed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Markets liked the pauseU.S. markets rallied Thursday as traders digested the Federal Reserve's rate pause — and seemed to decide it was a good thing. But traders in Europe didn't like the ECB's rate hike, resulting in a 0.13% drop in the pan-European Stoxx 600 index. Either the Fed's lying about rates or economic data's lying about a recession.

Persons: Richard Branson, Trade Bell, Coinbase, Kevin Scott, it's, CNBC's Bob Pisani Organizations: of Virgin Galactic, Trade, New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, ECB, European Central Bank, Markets, BlackRock, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Microsoft, Federal Reserve Locations: New York City, Europe

☆ Virgin Galactic defies gravity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The Virgin Galactic (SPCE.N) countdown has begun. Richard Branson’s space tourism company said on Thursday it plans to launch its first commercial flight within days. Virgin Galactic also depends on there being enough people willing to pay $450,000 for a few minutes in weightlessness. If Virgin Galactic could carry six passengers a week, and earn a 20% EBITDA margin, it would someday generate about $30 million of such earnings. For a company that has so badly missed previous projections, it’s Virgin Galactic’s valuation that is out of this world.

Persons: Richard, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Robert Cyran, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Virgin, Galactic, Origin, SpaceX, Southwest Airlines, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Cava

☆ How riding rockets going 4,000 mph into suborbital space could slash international flight times from 22 hours to 2
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This idea of point-to-point rocket travel, however, could be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Space companies that are exploring the technologyWhile no one is going from Down Under to Big Ben in less than 24 hours these days, some space companies are already testing the technology needed for point-to-point rocket travel. No company has announced projected ticket prices for point-to-point rocket trips, but if other space travel is any indication they'll likely be super expensive. Currently, you can book a two-hour space flight with Virgin Galactic for $450,000. But he's not planning any future point-to-point rocket flights because it's not worth the hassle.

Persons: —, David Doughty, Admiral Jet, Doughty, Big Ben, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Joe Cassady, there's, Thompson, Cassady, It's, he's Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Qantas, Rockets, Passengers, Virgin Galactic, Rocket, astronautics, US Air Force, NASA, Astronauts, Travelers Locations: London, Sydney, New York, Boca Chica , Texas, Mexico

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Virgin Galactic, iRobot, Cava, SoFi and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

iRobot — The stock surged 19% after U.K. regulators approved Amazon's $1.7 billion acquisition of the Roomba vacuum cleaner maker. Cava Group — Cava Group shares dropped 15% during trading Friday, giving back some of its gains from its massive debut Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. SoFi Technologies — The financial technology stock dropped more than 8% after both Bank of America and Piper Sandler downgraded it to neutral from buy, citing SoFi's recent run higher. Micron Technology — Shares dipped 1.5% after Micron Technology said a China chip ban could hurt the company. Truist Financial — Shares fell 1.6% after Odeon Capital Group downgraded Truist Financial to hold from buy, according to FactSet.

Persons: Richard Branson, iRobot, Piper Sandler, Refinitiv, Morgan Stanley, Joseph Moore, — CNBC's Michelle Fox, Alex Harring, Yun Li Organizations: Virgin Galactic —, West Pharmaceutical Services, Bank of America, — Cava, New York Stock Exchange, Technologies, Adobe, Nvidia, Devices, Micron Technology, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, — Humana, Odeon Capital Locations: China

☆ Virgin Galactic to launch commercial space tourism service with late June flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spacecraft VSS Unity fires its engine during the Unity 25 spaceflight, May 25, 2023. Virgin Galactic aims to launch its commercial space tourism service in late June. Virgin Galactic then plans for its second commercial flight to follow in "early August," with "monthly" commercial flights after that. The June launch will also begin moving Virgin Galactic toward showing it can fly commercial flights regularly, which is crucial to its long-term success. "We are launching the first commercial spaceline for Earth with two dynamic products — our scientific research and private astronaut space missions," Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement.

Persons: Virgin Galactic's, Richard Branson, Michael Colglazier Organizations: VSS Unity, Virgin Galactic, Italian Air Force, VSS, Virgin

☆ 2 blind passengers say being ordered to leave a cruise ship before it set sail was 'humiliating': report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two blind passengers told ITV News they were ordered to leave a P&O Cruises ship. P&O Cruises offered them a full refund after first charging the pair a cancellation fee. Two blind passengers who were ordered to leave a cruise ship before it set sail said it was "humiliating" and that they "felt like criminals". Pam May and Jennie Bailie told ITV News they were asked to leave a P&O Cruises Ventura ship in May for "health and safety reasons". They just decided 'oh you're blind you can't be on there'."

Persons: Pam May, Jennie Bailie, Bailie, Donovan Tildesley, Tildesley, Richard Branson Organizations: ITV News, O Cruises, Morning, Daily, Virgin Locations: West Sussex, Southampton, England, Miami, Honduras

☆ Air New Zealand has been ranked the best airline in the world, a study found. See which others made the top 10.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Air New Zealand has been ranked the best airline in the world by AirlineRatings.com. Air New Zealand has been ranked the best airline in the world by AirlineRatings.com, a website for airline safety and product reviews. Air New Zealand was ranked first for best economy class; Qatar Airways took the lead for business class; and Singapore Airlines was ranked the best first-class airline. Air New ZealandSafety: 7/7Product: 7/7Air New Zealand, or Air NZ, is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. Korean Air has an average score of 7.8/10 based on 60 AirlineRatings.com reviews.

Persons: Geoffrey Thomas, Taylor Rains, Johannes P, Virgin Atlantic Sir Richard Branson, Steve Parsons, Richard Branson, Emirates Yursi Abu Barak Organizations: Morning, Air New, Qatar Airways, Air, Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Delta, US, Ryanair, New Zealand, Air New Zealand Air, Air New Zealand, Air NZ, . Air NZ, Qatar Airways Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Etihad Airways Airbus, Etihad, UAE, Korean Air Korean, Airlines, Korean Air, Christo, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, SIA, Qantas Qantas, Qantas Media Safety, Qantas, Virgin, Virgin Atlantic Boeing, Heathrow Airport, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways Cathay, Boeing, Cathay, Nikkei, Emirates, Dubai . Emirates, UAE . Emirates Locations: Zealand, Air New Zealand, Europe, Air, Auckland , New Zealand, Doha, Qatar, Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Seoul, South Korea, Bali , Indonesia, Singapore, Asia, Mascot, Australia, Virgin Australia, Crawley , England, Taoyuan City, Taiwan, East Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, Nikkei Asia, Dubai ., Emirates, Dubai

☆ That Atlantic magazine story about the CNN CEO has to be scaring the bejeezus out of Elon Musk right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Nicholas Carlson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk gave Walter Isaacson full access for a new biography. According to the story, Licht gave Alberta hours and hours of on the record interviews over the fall of 2022, through the winter, and into the spring. Licht took Alberta on a train ride. Another really famous example is Steve Jobs allowing Walter Isaacson into his life in a way he'd never done before. All of which leads me to something really exciting on the horizon for us readers: Walter Isaacson's forthcoming biography of Elon Musk.

Persons: Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, I'm, Chris Licht, Tim Alberta, Licht, Michael Eisner, James Stewart, Stewart, Rupert Murdoch, John DeLorean, Richard Branson, Dick Fuld, Rudy Giuliani, Nikki Haley, Steve Jobs, Jobs, Walter Isaacson's, Isaacson, Musk, Ackbar Organizations: CNN Locations: The, Alberta

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