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Monday, 12 July 2021

BBC News

• The Scottish spaceman piloting Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic flightDavid Mackay wa chief pilot for the test mission on board Virgin Galactic's Unity rocket plane.
• Virgin Galactic: Sir Richard Branson rockets to the edge of spaceThe UK businessman realises a lifetime's ambition by riding a rocket plane high into the sky.

Financial Times

• Brussels targets aviation fuel tax in drive to reduce carbon emissions Commission to unveil a dozen policies designed to ensure EU can meet pollution goals
• Richard Branson touches the edge of space Entrepreneur’s ride to zero gravity is a milestone for his Virgin Galactic venture

The Guardian

• Richard Branson flies to edge of space in Virgin Galactic passenger rocket planeSpaceplane went into sub-orbital flight days ahead of a rival launch by Jeff Bezos The British entrepreneur Richard Branson has successfully flown to the edge of space and back in his Virgin Galactic passenger rocket plane, days ahead of a rival launch by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as the billionaires compete to kick off a new era of space tourism.Seventeen years after Branson founded Virgin Galactic to develop commercial spacecraft and cater to future space tourists, the spaceplane went into sub-orbital flight on Sunday morning, reaching 55 miles (88km) above the Earth’s surface. The launch w...

Times Online

• Fears of four-hour airport queues when Covid-19 restrictions lift [subscription]Passengers could be forced to sit in aircraft on runways to prevent lengthy queues building up in airport terminals when foreign travel resumes en masse next week.