Sir Richard Branson has signed on to be the co-pilot of Space Perspective's first space balloon flight sometime next year, which could be the the 74-year-old billionaire adventurer's eighth Guinness World Record. His accolades range from earning the fastest time to cross the Atlantic in a boat (1986) to being the oldest person to ever cross the English Channel while kite-surfing (2012).

Branson also has a love of long-distance ballooning, so the Space Perspective trip should fit in his bucket list. He set a Guinness record in 1987 by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon, and then in 1991 by ballooning across the Pacific, from Japan to Canada. But there were also failures. One attempted crossing of the Atlantic ended with the balloon crashing into the ocean, and several round-the-balloon trips were unsuccessful.   

Branson first crossed into space in 2021 aboard a Virgin Galactic flight. Virgin Galactic

Branson's experience in the Space Perspective capsule will be a bit different than his 1980s adventures. Virgin Galactic/Space Perspective