Advertising tycoon and Wolverhampton University graduate reaches edge of space on Virgin Galactic flight
An advertising executive has become one of the first to take to the skies in Virgin's galactic first flight with paying customers.
Birmingham-based advertising executive, Trevor Beattie, joined two other daring astronauts on Friday afternoon as Virgin Galactic launches Galactic 04, the fifth space flight mission in as many months.
The mission saw Trevor, who is a University of Wolverhampton graduate, along with two other influential guests and two pilots, as they take a suborbital flight, that allows them to experience several minutes of weightlessness.
Though the plane didn't reach orbit, the flight will be high enough that it allows passengers to see the curvature of the earth against the vastness of outer space.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, before the flight, Beattie, who has been a long-time investor of the Virgin Galactic project wrote: "I must arise and go now. To a long overdue appointment in a small cabin Up There.
"Thanks for putting up with my inane Space ramblings over the past few years. See you on The Other Side."
Trevor Beattie talked about his dream of going to space. He said: "Not only did I dream of it, I expected it.
"I was a poor kid, born at Brighton Road, Balsall Heath, and I'm standing in a spaceport in New Mexico and I'm going to space on Friday[today]."
The spaceman took to the skies not long after showing his support for The Crooked House, which was unlawfully demolished earlier this year.
Beattie joined two other passengers for the flight; astronomy educator Ron Rasano, from California, and non-profit Space Trust founder, Namira Salim, from Pakistan.
One of eight children born to working-class parents Jack and Ada, he was a school friend of future UB40 sax player Brian Travers and knew Ali Campbell, Jimmy Brown and Earl Falconer who would form the band with Robin Campbell.
