{"id":40213,"date":"2018-10-29T14:07:38","date_gmt":"2018-10-29T14:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/29\/screw-it-just-do-it-sir-richard-branson-addresses-airmen-pushes-space-cargo-operations\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:42:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:42:58","slug":"screw-it-just-do-it-sir-richard-branson-addresses-airmen-pushes-space-cargo-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/10\/29\/screw-it-just-do-it-sir-richard-branson-addresses-airmen-pushes-space-cargo-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Screw it, just do it\u2019: Richard Branson addresses airmen, pushes space cargo operations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

GRAPEVINE, Texas \u2014 Virgin Orbit founder Richard Branson made a surprise appearance Saturday at the Airlift Tanker Association\u2019s annual symposium outside Dallas, Texas, addressing members of the air mobility community and backing the idea of future cargo operations in space<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve certainly got a lot to learn with you,” Branson told the audience during a Q&A session with Gen. Maryanne Miller, the commander of Air Mobility Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Branson, the world-renowned entrepreneur and private space pioneer, was in attendance to discuss ways to increase innovation within the air mobility force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re speaking with your company and I think there\u2019s lot of opportunity, so we\u2019ll keep the dialog open,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThere\u2019s very fertile ground there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in the symposium, Miller had confirmed the Air Force was in talks with Virgin Orbit and other space companies, like Blue Origin and SpaceX, but that no resources were being committed as of yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re continuing, our [planning] community is going to continue to have discussions with the space companies, and we have agreed to just sit with them and just stay up to date with where they\u2019re going with their future plans, to just be at the table with them\u201d she said in a Friday roundtable with reporters. \u201cWe won\u2019t commit any resources, but we\u2019ve committed to work with them to see how quickly they progress through that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\t