NBC to Broadcast Richard Branson's Space Launch

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Billionaire Richard Branson is heading into space, and thanks to NBC, viewers across the country will be able to go with him.

Matt Lauer announced on Today this morning that NBC is planning a live broadcast of Virgin Galactic’s first passenger spaceflight next August. That is, only if everything goes off without a hitch. Among the first space tourists are Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson and his children, Holly and Sam. Reportedly close to 700 people have already signed up to take future Virgin spaceflights, including such well known stars as Leonardo DiCaprio and Stephen Hawking.

However, NBC Productions president Sharon Scott took care to warn that there’s a possibility that Virgin Galactic might not be prepared by August 2014, meaning a live broadcast is in a constant state of uncertainty at the moment.

“They are hoping for August, but it’s completely engineering-driven,” Scott told NBC News. “There’s no guarantee for that. August is the desire.”

None of this uncertainty was evident in Branson, who seemed as confident and excited as ever while appearing on The Today Show: “[It's] eight years in the making,” he told Matt Lauer. “It’s going to be a beautiful baby when it’s finally finished.”

Let's hope this "beautiful baby" goes off without a hitch, lest Branson ends up starring in his own version of Gravity.

Via: Entertainment Weekly