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💉 Happy Monday! I got my second vaccine shot today, so if there’s no newsletter tomorrow it’s either because I’m feverish or enjoying my new Magneto superpowers.
![Richard Branson Unity space flight Richard Branson Unity space flight](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Richard-Branson-Unity-space-flight.jpg)
The private space race has been raging for well over a decade now, but yesterday marked the first time one of these billionaire space-preneurs put their money where their mouth is and actually took the trip to space.
- Sir Richard Branson took a trip aboard his company’s VSS Unity rocket plane, reaching a height of 85km, or roughly 53 miles.
- That’s technically just the very edge of space, and only by US standards. The true international standard for space (called the Kármán line) begins at 100km.
- But that’s just splitting hairs.
- The event was broadcast live, although there were some technical problems getting live signals from the craft in space. You can watch the full video here.
- He was joined by Beth Moses, Colin Bennett, and Sirisha Bandla, all high-ranking members of the company, there to run tests and experiments. They join a list of fewer than 600 people to reach these heights.
Branson, on the other hand, was just there as a tourist.
- This makes him the winner of the billionaire space race, edging out Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk to take the crown.
- While floating in sub-orbit, he had this to say:
- “To all you kids out there — I was once a child with a dream, looking up to the stars. Now I’m an adult in a spaceship…. If we can do this, just imagine what you can do.”
- (Sidenote: You will need roughly $5 billion.)
- Many people decry these ventures as vanity projects for the ultra-wealthy, with more pressing problems like world hunger and rampaging inequality far more deserving of their attention and funding.
- And they’re not wrong.
That said, the goal is to bring this to the public at large (and make a spaceship-load of cash doing so).
- Branson first founded Virgin Galactic 17 years ago, way back in 2004. He initially thought he could bring space tourism to commercial markets by 2007.
- Although the company missed that goal by a long shot, there are plans to start commercial flights in early 2022.
- The company has already sold more than 600 tickets at $250,000 for future flights. Customers include Tom Hanks, Justin Bieber, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
- The other space tourism company, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, will also offer commercial suborbital flights, reaching heights beyond 100km (60 miles).
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX aims even higher by making rockets capable of achieving orbital velocity. This turns the trip into hours or days in space, instead of minutes.
- Granted, that will cost significantly more. Recent travelers to the International Space Station paid $55 million for the 10-day trip.
- Meanwhile the rest of us are barely justifying our daily coffee expenses.
🥇 Take a trip through cellular history with the most influential phones of all time, from the pre-smartphone era until today. (Android Authority)
📱 The Sony Xperia 1 III is coming out soon, but how does last year’s Xperia 1 II hold up today? Here’s the good and the bad. (Android Authority)
📝 The 12.6-inch Huawei MatePad Pro showcases some seriously impressive hardware for the price. The software and app ecosystem are another matter. Here’s the full review. (Android Authority)
📦 Speaking of which, Google announced it will switch from APK app formats in favor of Android App Bundles, which might be bad news for Huawei’s HarmonyOS. (Android Authority)
👂 Good news for readers in India: the Nothing Ear 1 will launch at a special price for the Indian market. It’s nearly 20% cheaper compared to Western markets. (Android Authority)
⚡ With Google about to enter the custom silicon market with the Pixel 6, it’s worth taking a look back at the history of Samsung’s homegrown Exynos flagship chipsets over the past decade. (Android Authority)
🔋 Apple AirPod batteries are almost impossible to replace, highlighting the need for right-to-repair reform. (CNBC)
🎮 Last Friday a sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda for NES sold for $870,000, setting a new record. On Sunday, that record was nearly doubled to over $1.5m for a copy of Super Mario 64. (The Verge)
🕷 $30 felt like extortion to rent Marvel’s Black Widow to stream on Disney Plus, but apparently it brought in $60 million worldwide, on top of $80 million in theaters. (Variety)
![Euro football meme Euro football meme](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Euro-football-meme.jpg)
Yesterday brought the exciting conclusion of the Euro 2020 championship, with Italy taking home the cup. The meme above (via Reddit user u/Dresik74) sums up how most of Europe felt about the finals.
(Sorry Brits)
Until tomorrow (hopefully),
Nick Fernandez, Editor
![OnePlus 9 Pro close up of hassleblad OnePlus 9 Pro close up of hassleblad](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/OnePlus-9-Pro-close-up-of-hassleblad.jpg)
![HUAWEI Mate X2 review side by side with Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 open HUAWEI Mate X2 review side by side with Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 open](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Huawei-Mate-X2-review-side-by-side-with-Samsung-Galaxy-Z-Fold-2-open.jpg)