Who is the founder of Virgin Galactic?

The founder of Virgin Galactic is Sir Richard Branson. He established Virgin Galactic in 2004 with the vision of making space travel accessible to the general public. Branson's entrepreneurial spirit and ambition toward commercial spaceflight led the company to become a pioneer in the space tourism industry. Under his leadership, Virgin Galactic has developed the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, positioning itself as a leader in the commercial space sector. Sir Richard Branson’s involvement and public advocacy for space exploration significantly contributed to the company's branding and outreach, manifesting his commitment to realizing the dream of human spaceflight for civilians.

Other notable individuals mentioned, such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, are well-known figures in the aerospace sector but have their own respective companies, SpaceX and Blue Origin, focusing on different aspects of space exploration. Burt Rutan is recognized for his contributions to aerospace engineering and for designing the SpaceShipOne, which laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the basis for Virgin Galactic's developments, but he is not the founder of the company.