After Skybox, will Google buy stake in space project Virgin Galactic as well?

A couple of days back Google announced the $500 million acquisition of satellite imaging company SkyBox , and now the company is rumoured to be in talks with Virgin Galactic, the  space tourism project backed by Richard Branson.

According to a report by SkyNews , Google plans a minority stake in the company worth $30 million , and will then spend hundreds of millions into a joint venture that would allow the Search giant to access Virgin Galactic’s technology. Both companies have been negotiating for months, and the talks are now at an advanced stage, adds the report.

Many celebrities  are said to have paid $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.17 crore) to secure seats on Virgin Galactic’s inaugural space flights. The list of celebrities include Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry and even Richard Branson.

This rumour has surfaced just some days after Google’s latest acquisition  Skybox.  The search giant is buying Skybox Imaging in a deal that could serve as a launching pad for the Internet company to send its own fleet of satellites to take aerial pictures and provide online access to remote areas of the world.  Google plans to use Skybox’s satellite already in orbit to supplement the material that it licenses from more than 1,000 sources, including other satellite companies such as DigitalGlobe and Astrium.

Earlier this year, Google had acquired solar-powered drone maker  Titan Aerospace   to ramp up plans to deliver wireless Internet access to remote parts. Titan’s solar drones could be used to beam Internet to remote areas, or could act as link in the company’s rapidly expanding cloud business. Here’s a quick look at all 2014 Google buyouts .

For Google, these acquisitions are part of its moonshot projects, an idea that is close to both Google founder, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. With Skybox deal done, a stake in Virgin Galactic seems only natural.