Sir Richard Branson has launched a worldwide appeal to help him find the child who, 26 years ago, asked a question that inspired him to launch his commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic.

During a live appearance on a BBC TV show in 1988, Branson answered a viewer call from a young Shihan Musafer, who asked him “Have you ever thought about going into space?”

It was a harebrained idea at the time, to which Branson answered in the hypothetical: “I’d love to go into space, as I think pretty well everybody watching this show would love to go to space,” he replied.

“When you see those magnificent pictures in space and the incredible views, I think there could be nothing nicer. So if you’re building a spacecraft I’d love to come with you on it.”

Little did Branson know (or did he?) that little more than a quarter century later, he would be putting the finishing touches on what is poised to become a historic milestone in commercial and space travel.

“Now, Richard and the Virgin Galactic team are keen to track down Shihan to say a personal thank you for helping to inspire the idea with that phone call.”

Know Musafer? Tweet @richardbranson using the hashtag #shihanmusafer for his chance to take part in the historic flight as a VIP guest.