Sir Richard Branson to honour Stephen Hawking with empty seat on maiden space flight
SIR Richard Branson’s maiden space flight will have an empty seat to honour Stephen Hawking.
The renowned physicist, who died last week aged 76, was among celebs set to board the billionaire’s Virgin Galactic rocket.
Sir Richard, 67, now intends to leave one of the £200,000 spots free in Prof Hawking’s memory.
A source said: “Sir Richard was so fond of Stephen and the pair struck up a great friendship once he said he wanted to go on the Galactic’s first flight.
“Almost as soon as he heard about Stephen’s death, he decided a seat would be left free in his honour.”
Prof Hawking, who suffered from motor neurone disease, had completed zero gravity training.
In 2014 he said: “I would love to go into space, but I fear the doctors won’t allow it. It would be a good way to go.”
Sir Richard, who hopes to send people into space later this year, has been hit by a series of deadly delays. Three people were killed during testing in 2007.
And in 2014, co-pilot Michael Alsbury, 39, died when VSS Enterprise broke apart.
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Professor Hawking devised a final groundbreaking theory about humanity’s quest to discover other universes on his deathbed.
Co-author Prof Thomas Hertog told the Sunday Times: “This was Stephen: to boldly go where Star Trek fears to tread.”