MONEY BUT THE ECONOMY NEEDS IT
NOW.
HE WOULD RATHER OVERSHOOT THAN
UNDER SHOOT.
WE ARE MONITORING THAT CLOSELY
AND ALSO SOME OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
INCLUDING WHAT’S HAPPENING ON
THE STATES FUND.
ONE OF THE BEST YEARS FOR THE
SPACE INITIATIVE CERTAINLY ON
THE PART OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT BUT THIS
ONE IS THE WOW FACTOR FOR ME,
URGENT ORBIT LAUNCHING A ROCKET
INTO SPACE FROM UNDER A BOEING
737 PLANE.
THAT’S SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY
DAY BUT IT KEEPS THE THEME WITH
THE LIKES OF JEFF BEZOS AND ELON
MUSK, GETTING THEIR FORTUNES,
REDESIGNING THE WHOLE PROCESS OF
SPACE TRAVEL NOT JUST FOR
REGULAR ASTRONAUTS BUT AVERAGE
FOLKS WHO WANT TO GO.
RICHARD JOINS US RIGHT NOW THAT
THE FOUNDER IS WITH US AS WELL,
VIRGIN ORBIT CEO.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU, THANK
YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME.
>> IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE.
NEIL: RICHARD, FIRST DEAL.
THIS IS STUNNING TO WATCH AND I
CAN’T GET ENOUGH.
WHEN I FIRST SAW IT, I THOUGHT
IT WAS A PLAINTIFF LAUNCHING AN
ATTACK.
THEN I FOUND OUT WHAT IT WAS.
IT’S AN INTERESTING WAY TO GET
UP THERE AND IT WENT WITHOUT A
HITCH.
HOW SOON WILL THIS DELIVER FOLKS
INTO SPACE?
>> WE GOT TWO COMPANIES, VIRGIN
GALACTIC TAKING PEOPLE INTO
SPACE AND VIRGIN ORBIT WHICH IS
BASICALLY TAKING SATELLITE TO
SPACE AND CONNECTING THE WORLD.
BECAUSE IT LAUNCHED FROM A 737,
WE CAN PUT SATELLITES UP MORE
RAPIDLY THAN BEFORE.
MAYBE 24 HOURS, 48 HOURS NOTICE.
OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, WE WILL
RAMP UP MASS PRODUCTION IN OUR
FACTORIES.
I AM PIGGYBACKING ON THE
PICTURE-PERFECT SUCCESS THAT WAS
DELIVERED, THEY NEED EVERY
DOLLAR POSSIBLE AND A LIQUID
ROCKET FROM AN AIRPLANE, THEY
DEPLOYED NINE SATELLITES IN THE
EXACT ORBIT THAT THEY SET OUT TO
DO.
THEY HAVE COMMISSIONED THE
SATELLITES AND IT WAS A
TREMENDOUS BREAKTHROUGH AND I
THINK ONE THAT WILL BE IN
CREDIBLY USEFUL, COMMUNICATIONS
INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND THE
LIKE.
NEIL: YOU KNOW WHAT’S SO
REMARKABLE?
I WOULD IMAGINE LAUNCHING
ANYTHING INTO SPACE, WITH THOSE
LAUNCHING SATELLITES INTO SPACE,
LESS RISKY THAN A TRADITIONAL
LAUNCH.
COULD YOU EXPLAIN THIS?
>> ANYTIME YOU PUT NEW
TECHNOLOGY IN PLACE, YOU HAVE TO
GO THROUGH A LARGE SETTLEMENT.
THIS WAS A LONG DRIVE FOR AN
INCREDIBLY INNOVATIVE TEAM.
NOW WE HAVE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM
AND TO END.
THE 747 WAS THE FIRST, WHICH IS
THE MOST OPERABLE AIRCRAFT EVER CREATED AND THAT IS WHAT TOOK
CREATED AND THAT IS WHAT TOOK
THE INITIAL LIFT.
I THINK WE HAVE SET THE BAR.
NEIL: RICHARD, LOOKING AT THIS AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND ELON
AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND ELON
MUSK AND JEFF BEZOS, I DON’T
KNOW IF ONE STRATEGY IS BETTER
THAN THE OTHER, I JUST KNOW
YOU’RE ALL INVOLVED.
IT LOOKED LIKE THINGS ARE
LOOKING DICEY FOR THE AMERICAN
SPACE PROGRAM.
IS THIS THE WAY IT’S GOING TO
BE?
YOU WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
THE OTHER, FLOWING AND WHAT HAVE
YOU NOW?
>> WE ALL HAVE OUR ISSUES, WE
ALL ARE DOING SOMETHING SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT.
USING SPACE TO BENEFIT UNIT
HUMANS BACK HERE ON EARTH.
ELON HAS FANTASTIC AMBITIONS AND
I THINK ALL THREE HAVE VERY
VALID PROGRAMS.
GOVERNMENT RUN COMPANIES,
GENERALLY WELL-RUN AND THEY HAVE
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO
ACHIEVE WHAT A PRIVATE COMPANY
ACHIEVES.
WE’VE DONE URGENT ORBIT OUT OF
OUR OWN POCKETS AND INSTEAD OF
THE GOVERNMENT DOING IT, IT
WOULD BE BILLIONS AND BILLIONS.
WE’VE MANAGED TO DO THIS AND
VERY RELIEVED WE HAD SUCH A
SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT.
AN ENORMOUS CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE TEAM, DOING IT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE PANDEMIC.
A LOT OF TIMES THE TEAMS HAVE
HAD TO STAND DOWN.
IT WENT UP INTO SPACE AND I
THINK CHEERED A LOT OF PEOPLE UP
UP.
NEIL: VERY UPLIFTING.
A LOVELY START, THAT’S PROBABLY
AN UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY
BUT I DID NOTICE WITH THE BOEING
747, THE PLANE GOING IS
ESSENTIALLY RETIRING NOW, IT’S A
LITTLE BIT OF ODDITY AND THAT.
WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THAT, I’M
SURE THE 740 SEVENS WILL BE
AROUND BUT IS THAT THE PLAN TO
CONTINUE WORKING WITH BOEING AND
GETTING UP THERE FIRST, AT LEAST
BEFORE YOU GET INTO SPACE VIA
THE BOEING 747?
>> THE 740 SEVENS IS A
TREMENDOUS AIRCRAFT AND ALWAYS.
IT’S A HUGE LEGACY, WONDERFUL
ENGINEERING, INFRASTRUCTURE ALL
OVER THE WORLD SO THE FACT THAT
THEY ARE COMING OUT OF PASSENGER
SERVICES GIVES ADDITIONAL LIFT,
WE CAN BUY ADDITIONAL 747S FOR
THE GOVERNMENT WHERE OTHER
GOVERNMENTS CAN AT A FAIRLY LOW
COST AND WE CAN EXPAND
CAPABILITY ACROSS THE GLOBE.
WE LOOK FOR A DAY NOT TOO FAR IN
THE FUTURE WHEREFROM AIRPORTS
AROUND THE WORLD, 747S ARE
CARRYING ROCKET TO SPACE WITH
SATELLITES AND THAT WILL ALLOW
GOVERNMENT, THERE ARE AGENCIES
AROUND THE GLOBE RIGHT NOW SO
THAT WILL ALLOW OTHER
GOVERNMENTS TO HAVE SPACE LAUNCH
FROM THE SOVEREIGN TERRITORY AND
LEFT NATIONAL SECURITY APPARATUS
TO LAUNCH ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME
WHICH IS INVALUABLE.
NEIL:
>> FOR MANY YEARS, VIRGIN
ATLANTIC, RATHER THAN THIS, THEY
HAVE PUT IT TO WORK WITH VIRGIN
ORBIT.
THEY WOULD NOT BE DOING AS MANY
FLIGHTS THAT WAS FLYING ALMOST
EVERY DAY.
THE COST OF OPERATING IN THIS IS
A LOT MORE FEASIBLE THAN IT
WOULD BE FOR PASSENGERS THESE
DAYS.
NEIL: LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THAT,
RICHARD.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD WE HAVE A
SWITCH OF ADMINISTRATIONS IN THE
COUNTRY.
JOE BIDEN HAS TAKEN OVER.
I DON’T KNOW HIS INTEREST IN
SPACE COMPARED TO DONALD TRUMP,
A GOVERNMENT BY THE INDUSTRY
PARTNERSHIP BUT PRESIDENT, HE
HAS A DIFFERENT VIEW ON SPACE
ACTIVITY.
NOTHING LIKE IT WAS 60 YEARS AGO
WHEN JOHN KENNEDY BECAME
PRESIDENT AND THE GOVERNMENT PUT
IT IN THE BILL, THAT’S FEASIBLE
RIGHT NOW.
ANY INDICATION IF YOU’RE GETTING
FROM NEW TOWERS IN WASHINGTON
ABOUT WHETHER SPACE INTEREST
WILL PICK UP, MAYBE NOT TO THE
DEGREE IT WAS DURING THE JFK ERA
WHEN COMPETING ON THE SOVIET
UNION WHICH WAS AT THE BACK OF
GETTING THE SPACE PROGRAM UP AND
RUNNING BUT ARE THERE NEW
REASONS TO BE CONFIDENT, FOR NO
OTHER COMPETITIVE REASON,
CHINESE MOVING, A MAN IS UP
THERE, RUSSIA HAS BEEN UP THERE
FOREVER BUT THERE ARE A LOT MORE
PLAYERS AND THAT MIGHT GALVANIZE
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO BE
MORE INVOLVED THAN EVER, WHAT
YOU THINK?
>> I THINK BIDEN AND PRESIDENT
OBAMA, WHEN THEY WERE IN OFFICE,
THEY WERE THE ONES WHO DECIDED
PUTTING BILLIONS, NOT TRILLIONS
INTO NASA WAS NOT THE WAY
FORWARD, PRIVATE COMPANIES COULD
MOST LIKELY THE JOB MORE
COST-EFFECTIVELY WORKING WITH
NASA.
I THINK THEY WERE BOTH ON THE
SAME PAGE AND WE WOULD EXPECT
THAT TO CONTINUE.
YOU ARE RIGHT, IF CHINA AND
RUSSIA DID HAVE A WAR WITH
ALLIED NATIONS, ONE OF THE FIRST
THINGS THEY WOULD CONSIDER IS
KNOCKING OUT SATELLITES IN THE
SKY ONE OF THE MASSIVE
BREAKTHROUGHS IS VIRGIN ORBIT.
WE CAN SCRAMBLE A 747 AND ONE
HOURS NOTICE AND PUT SATELLITES
UP WITHIN 12 HOURS AND ANOTHER
WITHIN 24 HOURS AND SO ON.
THAT IS A MASSIVE DETERRENT IN
KNOCKING OUT THE SATELLITES IN
THESE COUNTRIES.
THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT
WITHIN THE PENTAGON FOR WHAT WE
ARE DOING.
TO CONGRATULATE US, AND THE U.S.
AIR FORCE.
SO I THINK IT IS A BIG
BREAKTHROUGH, A BREAKTHROUGH
FROM THEIR VIEW.
NEIL: I DID MENTION JOE BIDEN
AND I KNOW YOU ARE CLOSE TO
BARACK OBAMA, ONE OF HIS FIRST
ACTS LEAVING PRESIDENCY WAS TO
VACATION AT THE ISLAND RESORT.
I AM CURIOUS WHAT YOU MAKE OF
SOME OF THE MOVES JOE BIDEN HAS
MADE SINCE BECOMING PRESIDENT
INCLUDING REJOINING OF THE PARIS
ACCORD, REJOINING THE HEALTH
ORGANIZATION, GOOD STEPS IN YOUR
DIRECTION, GOOD IDEA ABOUT WHERE
THIS ADMINISTRATION COULD BE
GOING?
YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> I’M SURE MANY DISAGREE WITH
ME BUT I WAS ACTUALLY AT THE
PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD WITH TWO
ORGANIZATIONS WE HELP SET UP CAMPAIGNING TO GET ALL COUNTRIES
CAMPAIGNING TO GET ALL COUNTRIES
TO SIGN UP TO TRY TO TACKLE THIS
MASSIVE PROBLEM IN THE WORLD.
WE CELEBRATED, WE WERE OVERJOYED
WHEN EVERY NATION SIGNED UP.
THE LAST THING WE EXPECTED WAS
AMERICA TO WITHDRAW.
OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE FIRST
THINGS HE DID WAS WE SIGNED
THAT.
MY GRANDDAUGHTER WHO IS TO,
AFTER ORBIT SPACE, I LOOKED UP
AT THE SKY AND SAID, ONTO THE
MOON.
[LAUGHTER]
BUT I THINK MY GRANDCHILDREN AND
CHILDREN, WE NEED TO GET THIS
WORLD INTO A WORLD THAT IS RUN LIKE THIS IN HUNDREDS OF
LIKE THIS IN HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND THE COST
TODAY IS LESS THAN THE COST OF
GOLD SO IT MAKES BUSINESS AND
ENVIRONMENTAL.
SO I AM DELIGHTED YOU ARE ALL
RIGHT, I SAVED THE MOST
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR LAST.
WE WERE SHOWING A LITTLE BIT
BEFORE BARACK OBAMA JET SKIING
WITH YOU, THIS IS SOMETHING NOT
ALLOWED IN THE EIGHT YEARS OF
PRESIDENTS, HE LOOKED A LITTLE
CLUMSY IN THE BEGINNING WITH
THESE OTHER THINGS HE WAS DOING,
DID YOU TEACH HIM THAT OR DID HE
JUST PRACTICE AGAIN AND AGAIN
AND GOT HIMSELF?
>> IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT, IT WAS
QUITE SERVING.
KITE SURFING, YOU FALL A LOT
WHEN YOU ARE LEARNING.
I SERVED FOR MANY YEARS AND WE
HAD A COMPETITION WITH EACH
OTHER.
HE NEVER LEARNED TO KITE SURF SO
WE WORKED HARD TO SEE WHO COULD
BE WHO.
THE PRESIDENT GOT 500 YARDS ON
THE KITE WHICH IS A REAL
ACCOMPLISHMENT.
I GOT FOR 50 YARDS BUT WE HAD --
HE HAD A DELIGHTFUL BREAK FROM
RUNNING AMERICA FOR EIGHT YEARS.
A DELIGHTFUL HOLIDAY.
WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET TO
KNOW HIM AND HIS WONDERFUL WIFE
WILL.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
THEY SAY THINGS ABOUT YOU.
ONE LAST THING ON WHAT WE CAN
EXPECT RIGHT NOW, VIRGIN ORBIT
AND WHAT NEXT.
WHAT IS NEXT AND HOW CLOSE ARE
WE SATELLITE AND EVENTUALLY
HUMANS, OR WILL IT BE IN THE
BEGINNING WATCHING SATELLITES
INTO SPACE?
>> WE ARE FOCUSED ON SATELLITES
AT THIS TIME GETTING A HUGE
COMMUNITY IN TWO ORBIT.
SATELLITES ARE CHANGING
DRAMATICALLY RIGHT NOW.
SATELLITES USED TO BE THE SIZE
OF A SCHOOL BUS, THEY ARE NOW
THE SIZE OF MAYBE A MICROWAVE SO
THERE’S A HUGE AMOUNT OF
MOVEMENT IN THE COMMERCIAL
SECTOR AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
EXPLORATION.
NASA IS MAKING HUGE MOVES ACROSS
THE GLOBE, HUGE MOVES AND AS
RICHARD SAID IN THE NATIONAL
SECURITY WORLD, THEY HAVE A
FOCUS ON SMALL SATELLITES IS ONE
OF THE APPROACHES AS A DETERRENT
AGAINST MR. IN SPACE SO WE WILL
RAMP UP PRODUCTIONS OF ROCKETS,
WE HAVE A FULL FACTORY HERE WE
WILL GET INTO A REGULAR LUNCH
TEAM AND PUTTING HAPPY CUSTOMERS INTO ORBIT.
INTO ORBIT.
NEIL: AMAZING.
>> DOING IT FINAL TEST SITES
BEFORE WE START TAKING MEMBERS
OF THE PUBLIC TO SPACE.
NEIL: VERSION LAUNCHING HUMANS
INTO SPACE AND TO BE CLEAR,
VIRGIN ORBIT, DAN, WOULD BE
HANDLING THE SATELLITES.
>> CORRECT, EXACTLY.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
JOHN KENNEDY, IF YOU ARE LOOKING
AT THIS, HE BE IMPRESSED.
THERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
VOLUNTEERING ME TO BE LAUNCHED
INTO SPACE, THE SOONER RICHARD