The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has barred Virgin Galactic from flying its SpaceShipTwo until the agency approves its final mishap investigation report from its July flight or determines the issues do not affect public safety.
The FAA confirmed on Wednesday that it was investigating a deviation in the descent of the flight of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane that carried British billionaire, Richard Branson, to the edge of space in July.
The FAA, responsible for protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and re-entry, said SpaceShipTwo deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America in New Mexico.
VMS Eve takes to the skies above Spaceport America, New Mexico, today. pic.twitter.com/W3lyWdCMRC
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) August 25, 2021
In June, Virgin Galactic announced that the FAA updated the Company’s existing commercial space transportation operator license to allow the spaceline to fly customers to space.
The Company also announced that it has completed an extensive review of data gathered from its May 22 test flight and confirmed that the flight performed well against all flight objectives.
The adjustment to Virgin Galactic’s operator’s license, which the Company has held since 2016, marks the first time the FAA has licensed a spaceline to fly customers. It is further validation of the Company’s methodical testing program, which has met the verification and validation criteria required by the FAA.
