Space News reports “Virgin Galactic said Feb. 5 it is investigating why a pin fell from the aircraft used by its VSS Unity suborbital spaceplane on its most recent flight last month, adding that the incident did not pose a safety risk to those on board.”
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Tag: Suborbital spacecraft
Virgin Galactic to Fly VMS Eve More Frequently with Next-Gen Spaceplanes
Space News reports, “Virgin Galactic says it will fly its existing “mothership” aircraft more frequently than previously planned with its upcoming Delta-class suborbital spaceplanes, allowing the company to defer development of a new plane while also dealing with a legal dispute with Boeing.”
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Virgin Galactic Retires Its Space Tourism Vehicle ‘Unity’ – Plans for Larger Replacement
Flying Magazine reports, “Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity space tourism vehicle has been retired after its seventh flight on Saturday, and it will be at least two years before replacement craft are ready.”
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Virgin Galactic Chalks Up 7th Commercial Sub-Orbital Space Flight
CBS News reports, “Two pilots, a Turkish research astronaut and three private citizens rocketed to space and back Saturday aboard Virgin Galactic’s Unity spaceplane, enjoying spectacular views of Earth and about three minutes of weightlessness before gliding back to touchdown in New Mexico. It was the company’s 12th piloted up-and-down sub-orbital flight.”
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Richard Branson Says He Will Not Invest More Money into Virgin Galactic
CNN reports that shares of Virgin Galactic, “the space tourism venture founded by Richard Branson, are plunging after the British billionaire said he has no plans to invest more money in the company as he says it has ‘sufficient funds’ already.” This news contributed to Virgin Galactic’s stock falling 16% at market open on Monday. Virgin Galactic “has had a landmark year, flying its first customers to the edge of space after years of waiting.” But the company “has also been in a state of flux, having just laid off about 20% of its staff and working to introduce a new line of suborbital spacecraft that will supplant the vehicle it’s spent more than a decade developing.”
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Virgin Galactic on Track for Production of New Spaceplanes
Space News reports, “Virgin Galactic says production of its new suborbital spaceplanes remains on track to allow commercial flights to begin in the middle of next year as it contemplates restarting ticket sales. The company spent much of a May 15 earnings call talking about the technical progress it has made in the assembly of its first Delta-class vehicles, or SpaceShips, in areas such as structures, propulsion and avionics.”
Full Story (Space News)