The company Virgin Galactic of Sir Richard Branson was not resubmitted to the SpaceShipTwo until the completion of investigations initiated by the FAA.
Virgin Galactic and Sir Richard Branson’s aerospace adventure has entered a mandatory hiatus, following a ban imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amid an investigation into mishaps during the inaugural flight of the “SpaceShipTwo” on July 11.
According to Reuters, the FAA investigation focuses on a deviation in the descent of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft without authorization from Traffic Control.
“SpaceShipTwo deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance when it returned to Spaceport America, ” the regulatory institution noted. “Virgin Galactic cannot return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final report of the accident investigation, or determines that the problems related to the accident do not affect public safety.”
The agency’s role in this event is to protect the integrity of the public during the launch and re-entry of the ship. Until an FAA clearance is issued, Virgin Galactic will not schedule a next commercial flight.
The errors of the SpaceShipTwo in its test flight
In response to this statement, Virgin Galactic has noted that this maneuver created no risk to travelers and was “a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our spaceport in New Mexico. At no time were the passengers and crew in danger”.
Regarding data access for the ongoing investigation, Virgin Galactic said it was “addressing the causes of the problem and determining how to prevent this from happening on future missions.”
Virgin Galactic, founded by Sir Richard Branson, anticipated plans for another SpaceShipTwo flight from New Mexico in late September or early October, pending technical and weather checks. That flight will carry three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council.