Google planning to buy a minority stake in Virgin Galactic, wants to be space partners

Google is apparently looking for more space projects to back, after acquiring Titan Aerospace and SkyBox Imaging this year, it looks like the Search and advertising giant is interested in space and wants to become more integrated with space missions and satellites.

The next move might be a minority stake in Virgin Galactic, a space tourist project, created by Sir Richard Branson. The deal, which has been in negotiation for a few months, would cost Google $30 million and hand them 1.5 percent of Virgin Galactic.

The minority stake in Virgin Galactic means nothing compared to the joint venture Google is apparently preparing to tackle with the space venture.

Virgin Galactic spaceships will take Google’s low-orbit satellites up into space and install them, allowing those satellites to reach unconnected parts of the world. The new LauncherOne, developed by Virgin Galactic, will help SkyBox Imaging, and other commercial satellite and space companies get their products into orbit.

This is what all of the space acquisitions appear to be moving towards; Google is in a race with Facebook to make the next four billion people in the world connected, and it appears to be winning the race.

Titan Aerospace was a deal Google managed to snag from Facebook’s grasp and the new deal with Virgin Galactic could speed up the process.

The deal is still not finalised, but sources agree both companies are looking to work together. Google could also be playing their hand into the space tourism game, somewhere Virgin Galactic and Elon Musk’s Space X are both looking to achieve in the next few years.

Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson wants to send people to space for $200,000 a ride and the first rides will jet off from New Mexico in the next few years. In the future, Branson wants to cut the cost and in the future offer the flights out to anyone who likes the idea of flying in space, but doesn’t live on a million dollar salary.