Virgin Galactic acknowledged on Tuesday that billionaire founder Richard Branson by no means rode a bicycle to the launch website of his house flight on Sunday, as depicted in a extremely publicised video included within the firm’s webcast of the occasion.
The video clip confirmed Branson driving his bike towards New Mexico’s state-owned Spaceport America close to the city of Reality or Penalties, flanked by two SUVs, and handing his security helmet to an assistant upon arrival.
Branson, 70, is then seen greeting crewmates dressed of their flight fits with a hug, with one in every of them, Beth Moses, the corporate’s chief astronaut teacher, telling him, “You are late, hurry up.”
On Tuesday, a Virgin Galactic official, talking anonymously, affirmed to Reuters by textual content that the video in query was filmed on July 5, the Monday earlier than the flight, and that Branson didn’t journey his bike in any respect the day of the launch.
“The footage of Sir Richard Branson proven through the occasion Sunday was prerecorded and misidentified within the broadcast. We remorse the error and any confusion it could have precipitated,” the official mentioned in a textual content message.
It was unclear whether or not the disclosure that the Sunday biking journey was fictional would complicate Virgin Galactic’s cross-promotional take care of Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle. Trek had claimed that Branson rode one in every of its custom-made bikes to the spaceport on launch day.
Representatives of Trek weren’t instantly accessible to touch upon the matter.
Branson has touted his rocket airplane journey, the corporate’s first totally crewed check flight of the car to house, as a precursor to a brand new period of astro-tourism, with the corporate he based poised to start industrial operations subsequent 12 months.
The purported Sunday bike journey appeared to typify his public persona because the adventuresome enterprise govt whose Virgin manufacturers – from airways to music firms – have been related to ocean-crossing exploits in sailboats and hot-air balloons.
The bicycle video clip was posted to Branson’s Twitter feed shortly earlier than Sunday’s launch. Virgin additionally broadcast the clip, with the tagline “earlier right now,” throughout its livestream presentation of the flight.
Branson, himself, made point out of the bike journey from the stage of a post-flight celebration again on the spaceport, telling a crowd of supporters, “It is so superior to reach on a bicycle, throughout this stunning New Mexico countryside.”
Reuters, together with many different news shops, included the videotaped account of Branson’s bike journey in a few of its launch-day protection on Sunday. Reuters dropped the bicycle journey from its story when doubts about its timing emerged early on Sunday.
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