This little game reveals an obsession and a fantasy for these entrepreneurs of the American dream: to be the first to conquer space and engrave his name in the History that links Man to the confines of the sky. For this, these personalities do not hesitate to put their hands in their pockets and to inject colossal sums into projects, which are not, for the moment, profitable.

In this context, Richard Branson, who has a few billion less than his acolytes, announced the bankruptcy this week of his company Virgin Orbit, specialized, since 2017, in the design of satellite launchers (not to be confused with Virgin Galactic). The company was still worth $2.7 billion on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021.

This space disappointment is not the first for the Virgin empire and its founder. In the mid-1990s, the billionaire's efforts to launch his Virgin Cola brand, which aimed to compete with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, had been in vain. Virgin Cars, an online car retailer, only lasted five years. The same goes for Virgin Clothing, the conglomerate's clothing brand, and Virgin Brides, a wedding planning agency.

The entrepreneur likes to say that these failures have helped him to move forward and that they are necessary for success. And that these failed attempts are part of the adventure of a great entrepreneur. These arguments are quite valid for someone who has created more than 400 companies, the vast majority of which have been successful.

However, going bankrupt in the space industry is not the same as failing to launch a brand of soda or clothing. The space industry is one of the most capital-intensive and a failure is an admission of inferiority compared to SpaceX, Blue Origin and other billionaires.

For now, Elon Musk seems to be the most advanced. His company has made impressive progress in recent years. So, it's a matter to follow for these gentlemen who dream of being, 54 years after the first step on the Moon, pioneers in the new great extraterrestrial conquest.