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Added on the 11/07/2021 18:26:32 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Japanese fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa and his production assistant Yozo Hirano bid farewell before heading to Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, from which a rocket is expected to blast off on Wednesday at 0738 GMT. Their journey towards the International Space Station aboard the three-person Soyuz spacecraft piloted by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin will take just over six hours. Maezawa, a space enthusiast who made his wealth in online fashion, and his assistant will spend 12 days aboard the orbital station. IMAGES
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg slams as "reckless" Russia's destruction of a satellite that created a debris cloud he said was dangerous to orbiting space stations. SOUNDBITE
Star Trek's William Shatner says his voyage into space on board a Blue Origin rocket was the "most profound experience I can imagine." "I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. It's extraordinary," he tells Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos in remarks after landing. IMAGES
A Virgin Galactic spaceship carrying Richard Branson touches down after a voyage to the edge of space the British billionaire called an "experience of a lifetime." IMAGES
British billionaire Richard Branson arrives at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, hours before his voyage to the border of space aboard a Virgin Galactic space vessel. The business magnate is hoping to finally get the space tourism industry off the ground, while getting one up on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos by winning the race to be the first person to cross the final frontier in a ship built by their own company. IMAGES