NBC’s Today Show will broadcast Virgin Galactic’s first commercial spaceflight live, thanks to an exclusive deal NBCUniversal signed with Sir Richard Branson.

Branson and his adult children, Holly and Sam, will be on the flight of SpaceShipTwo, which will leave from the company’s terminal at New Mexico’s Spaceport America. They will be the first private passengers to go to space on Virgin Galactic’s ship.

NBC News’ Peacock Productions will keep an eye on the flight and the journey leading up to it using NBCUniversal’s various platforms and networks, including NBCNews.com and networks like SyFy, CNBC and MSNBC. The night before the launch, NBC News will air a live special, while Today anchors Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie will host a three-hour special the day of the launch.

“Virgin Galactic is thrilled that NBCUniversal will join us on our exciting first journey to space,” Branson said. “In this first chapter of commercial space travel, we will help make space accessible and inspire countless more people to join us in the pursuit of space exploration and science innovation.”

Peacock Productions’ Sharon Scott said that they are hoping to launch in August. "They are hoping for August, but it's completely engineering-driven...There's no guarantee for that. August is the desire,” she said.

Branson also appeared on Today this morning:

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The partnership with NBC comes a month after NBC announced Space Race, a reality show competition that will give the average person a chance to win tickets for a flight to space.

image: Wikimedia Commons