RICHARD BRANSON sold off another $300m (£223m) worth of stock in his space venture Virgin Galactic on Monsay night, taking the total offloaded by the British billionaire this year to around $600m.

The unlocked capital is reportedly set to be pumped into Branson's travel and leisure businesses, after emergency pandemic restrictions curtailed trading and bruised profits.

Shares were down over three per cent to $18.35 a share yesterday evening.

The hefty stake forms just six per cent of the space-travel company, leaving him with an 11.9 per cent interest as he remains the largest shareholder, according to a regulatory filing.

Branson retains an al- most $600m stake in the company - which has been at the forefront of the space race's second revival, alongside Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The move follows venture capitalist and chairman Chamath Palihapitiya shedding some $213m worth of stock in March, as well as a lofty $500m share sale in July, after Branson's successful test flight with the billionaire onboard.

As of early November, Virgin Galactic's share price has been trading closer to its lowest price of $17 than the $60 it secured in January and again in June - "a fairly reliable track record" and "consistent range for the stock," David Moadel of Investor Place said last week.

(c) 2021 City A.M., source Newspaper