Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic flight soared to the edge of space today as the billionaire hailed the mission an "experience of a lifetime".
The businessman, who was aboard the first fully crewed flight, smiled as he headed back to the planet surface after feeling the thrill of weightlessness for several minutes on Sunday afternoon.
The launch, which was piloted by a Scotsman, was hailed a "landmark moment", with the billionaire the first owner-astronaut to take part in such a mission.
Take-off had been delayed by about 90 minutes due to the weather overnight at Spaceport America in New Mexico, in the US.
But video streamed live online showed the Virgin Galactic in the air at about 3.45pm UK time, and the aircraft had reached 40,000 feet by 4pm.
Scots pilot David Mackay, from Helmsdale in Sutherland, became the first Scot in space when Virgin Galactic celebrated its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico in a manned shuttle.
The 61-year-old, who was born in Thurso, was at the helm today alongside fellow pilot Michael Masucci.
The spacecraft was carried up into the atmosphere by its mothership before being released so it could power up to highs of 250,000 feet.
Sir Richard and his crew reached speeds of Mach 3 on their way to the edge of space.
For a few minutes the crew were weightless - before floating back to their seats. The whole process lasted only a few minutes.
After about an hour in the air, the craft then pointed downwards and made its way back to the ground, touching down around 4.40pm.
On the return flight, Sir Richard hailed the "experience of a lifetime" and the "hard, hard work" that went into the flight.
Sir Richard is the first owner-astronaut to take part in a mission, beating Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who plans to reach space in his own rocket through his Blue Origin company.
On the ground, Michael Colglazier, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, said: "This is a landmark moment for Virgin Galactic.
"It's a landmark moment for the new commercial space industry and it certainly is a landmark moment for our founder Richard Branson."
He said the company's work on Sunday was dedicated to "opening up space to all".
Tourists are expected to pay 250,000 US dollars (£180,000) for a spaceflight on Virgin Galactic, which includes four minutes of zero gravity.
