Richard Branson was in tears as he watched Space Ship two break free from earth’s atmosphere to mark a historical moment for Virgin Galactic and The SpaceShip Company. Richard, who professed his support for Bitcoin in 2013, fulfilled part of his commercial space exploration dream on December 13.

SpaceShip Two is currently the first crewed space vehicle to reach space. Richard Branson expressed his joy in a personal blog stating that this was a dream come true for one of his biggest and toughest challenges. The spaceship has two pilots onboard- Mark “Forger” Stucky and Frederick “CJ” Sturckow, who received an emotional homecoming once they landed safely on earth.

Virgin Galactic is working to commercialize space exploration and the use of rockets for long-distance travel. In 2013, Richard Branson announced that Virgin Galactic would gladly accept Bitcoin payments. According to the Virgin Group founder, Virgin Galactic is a futuristic company and Bitcoin has managed to become an innovative futuristic business. It is therefore only wise for Virgin Galactic to allow customers to pay with Bitcoins.

In a detailed blog post, Richard Branson pointed out that while the world of travel is advancing rapidly, the same is happening in the financial world. Payment systems such as Bitcoin are the future because they are encouraging cashless transactions and posing serious competition for traditional banks. The competition will encourage growth and give customers more options.

SpaceShip Two is now the first vehicle built for commercial service to reach space. The ship followed its predecessor, SpaceShip One prototype that paved way for the successful flight. Richard was also glad that the Federal Aviation Administration witnessed the successful launch and will award both pilot astronauts their own private astronaut wings.

Bitcoin has changed rapidly since 2013 and has recently experienced a major downfall. However, just like Bitcoin, space exploration has its limitations too. In 2014, Virgin Galactic experienced a major setback after SpaceShip Two crashed during a test flight. The accident claimed the life of the co-pilot and the pilot sustained severe injuries.

Even with setbacks, Bitcoin has been looked upon to support space exploration. At the beginning of 2018, Bitcoinist stated that U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was looking into the possibility of using blockchain technology and artificial intelligence to enhance space communications.

Space communication is challenging because of disruptions, vast distances between space stations and the amount of data that requires processing. Therefore, for efficient communication to exist, communication systems must be secure and decentralized. For these reasons, the use of automation using AI and blockchain technology is inevitable.

Private companies that support Bitcoin and other blockchain based technologies are also moving in to utilize space. At the beginning of the year, SpaceChain was building the world’s first open-source satellite network to enable future infrastructure for the blockchain industry. Blockstream has launched four satellites to enable smooth transactions for Bitcoin users across the globe.

Reflections on @virgingalactic’s first space flight & the momentous achievement of a crewed spaceship, built to carry private paying passengers, reaching space for the first time ever https://t.co/hHk8ZsF8Kn pic.twitter.com/qtN8cy7kdb

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 14, 2018

209 +