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Washington (AFP) - Virgin Galactic successfully flew its first paying customers to the final frontier Thursday, a long-awaited achievement that puts it back on track in the emerging private spaceflight sector. Italian Air Force officers unfurled their nation's flag and peered out windows at the curve of Earth while enjoying a few minutes of weightlessness at 52.9 miles (85.1 kilometers) above sea level. "It was a beautiful ride," Colonel Walter Villadei told reporters at a press conference, adding that his favorite moment was seeing the contrast between the black of space and the planet beneat...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Virgin Galactic successfully carried out its first spaceflight in nearly two years Thursday, the company said, after an "enhancement period" to make safety upgrades to its fleet. It was the fifth time the space tourism company brushed the boundary of space, and has been billed as the final test before commercial operations can begin in late June, with members of the Italian Air Force as the first paying customers. "Touchdown, VSS Unity!" the company tweeted, referring to the name of the company's spaceplane. "Our crew and spaceship are back on Earth after landing smoothly at...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Virgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by Richard Branson, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will sell the business, the firm said in a statement Tuesday. The California-based company said last week it was laying off 85 percent of its employees -- around 675 people -- to reduce expenses due to its inability to secure sufficient funding. Virgin Orbit suffered a major setback earlier this year when an attempt to launch the first rocket into space from British soil ended in failure. The company had organized the mission with the UK Space Agency and Cornwall Sp...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Virgin Galactic said Wednesday it had been cleared for spaceflight after the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) concluded a probe into a safety "mishap" related to its high-profile mission in July that featured company founder Richard Branson. The FAA told the company it had accepted its proposed corrective actions related to the flight, which saw the SpaceShipTwo vehicle drop below its assigned airspace during its descent back to its runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin Galactic will update its calculations for future flights and request more airspace, and promised ...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday said it was grounding space flights by Virgin Galactic while it investigates why the company's July mission carrying Richard Branson deviated from its planned trajectory. The move represents a blow to the space tourism firm as it prepares to carry paying customers following its first fully-crewed test flight. "The FAA is overseeing the Virgin Galactic investigation of its July 11 SpaceShipTwo mishap that occurred over Spaceport America, New Mexico," the agency said in a short statement. "Virgin Galactic may not return ...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - A yellow warning light, followed by a red: Richard Branson's July 11 voyage to space experienced cockpit warnings about its rocket-powered ascent that could have jeopardized the mission, according to a new report by The New Yorker. On Thursday, the US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement to AFP it was probing the flight because it had deviated from its planned trajectory. "During its July 11, 2021 flight, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo vehicle deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America," the space base in New Me...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - After flying its founder Richard Branson to space, Virgin Galactic is restarting ticket sales beginning at $450,000, the company announced Thursday. The new price is about double the $200,000 to $250,000 paid by around 600 people who previously booked seats on Virgin's spaceship between 2005 and 2014, as the company looks to cash in on the success of last month's fully-crewed test flight. "We are excited to announce the reopening of sales effective today," said CEO Michael Colglazier in a statement, with first dibs going to people on a waiting list. "As we endeavor to bring ...
AFP
New York (AFP) - Virgin Galactic skyrocketed on Wall Street Friday after US officials approved the first commercial license to take consumers to space. Shares of the company founded by Richard Branson were up almost 35 percent at midday at $53.98 as the Federal Aviation Administration said its approval of Virgin's license marked "a new chapter in the story of human space flight." FAA approval came after the agency determined that company's hardware and software functioned well during a test flight. Virgin Galactic Chief Executive Michael Colglazier cheered the decision, saying FAA approval giv...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit project on Sunday successfully flew a rocket into space from the wing of a 747 plane, paving the way for a new method of launching low-cost satellites. It was the company's second attempt at the feat after a failed test in May. "LauncherOne has reached orbit! Everyone on the team who is not in mission control right now is going absolutely bonkers," the company tweeted from its Twitter account at 2:49 pm (2049 GMT). The plane took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the desert north of Los Angeles and launched the rocket over the Pacific Oce...
AFP
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