NBCUniversal will televise the first commercial flight to space, it was announced on Friday's Today.
The Comcast company has partnered with Virgin Galactic to document Sir Richard Branson and his adult children's journey to space next year.
The Bransons will be the first private passengers to travel into space on SpaceShipTwo from VIrgin Galactic's terminal at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Their trip will be chronicled across various NBCUniversal brands and platforms including NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, NBCNews.com, Syfy and The Weather Channel.
The coverage will also consist of an NBC primetime special the night before launch and a three-hour live event on Today.
“Without a doubt, Sir Richard and his children taking the first commercial flight into space, will go down in history as one of the most memorable events on television,” Sharon Scott, president and general manager of NBC News' Peacock Productions said in a statement. “Through NBCUniversal’s multiple platforms and overseas network partners, viewers from around the world will get to experience this where were you moment; we’re extremely honored to chronicle Sir Richard’s journey and live launch into space.”
Branson added: “Virgin Galactic is thrilled that NBCUniversal will join us on our exciting first journey to space. In this first chapter of commercial space travel, we will help make space accessible and inspire countless more people to join us in the pursuit of space exploration and science innovation.”
