Billionaire Richard Branson on Sunday boarded a Virgin Galactic vesselfrom a base in New Mexicofor the edge of space, a voyage he hopes will lift the nascent space tourism industry off the ground.

A massive carrier plane made a horizontal take-off from Spaceport, New Mexico at around 8:40 am Mountain Time (1440 GMT) and will ascend for around an hour to an altitude of 50,000 feet (15 kilometers).

The billionaire philanthropist is being accompanied by five other passengers including India-born Sirisha Bandla. Bandla will become the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams.

In a tweet, Bandla said that she felt honoured to be a part of the crew.

“I am so incredibly honoured to be a part of the amazing crew of #Unity22, and to be a part of a company whose mission is to make space available to all,” she tweeted.

The “Unity 22” mission will be the twenty-second flight test for VSS Unity and the company’s fourth crewed spaceflight. It will also be the first to carry a full crew of two pilots and four mission specialists in the cabin, including the company’s founder, Sir Branson, who will be testing the private astronaut experience.

The WhiteKnight aircraft, VMS Eve, will carry a rocket-powered spaceship VSS Unity. About 40 minutes after take-off, Unity will drop from the middle of the mothership and ignite its rocket engine moments later to send Branson and the crew to the edge of space, about 55 miles high, for a few minutes of weightlessness.

Branson’s official role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to enhance the journey for future clients.

Branson, who founded the Virgin Group that today has interests in everything from commercial aviation to fitness centers, is known for his appetite for adventure and has set world records in hot air ballooning and boating.