FAA investigates Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space flight

Sir Richard Branson has beaten his billionaire rivals in space, but now federal authorities are investigating whether the Virgin Galactic spacecraft flew outside of its cleared zone on its return to Earth.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement that the July 11 space flight “deviated from its air traffic control clearance upon return to Spaceport America,” the taxpayer-funded home port of Virgin Galactic. in New Mexico.

“The FAA investigation is ongoing,” the agency said.

A Virgin Galactic representative confirmed that the spacecraft fell below the altitude of airspace that was secured by the FAA for flight for one minute and 41 seconds before re-entering allocated airspace.

“At no time did the ship travel over a population center or pose a danger to the public. FAA representatives were present in our control room during the flight and during post-flight debriefings. We are working in partnership with the FAA to treat the airspace for future flights, ”added the representative.

But in fact, the flight that carried the billionaire founder of Virgin Galactic and five other crew members into space didn’t quite go as smoothly as it appeared in the onboard livestream and media coverage of the launch. , according to a report published Wednesday in The New Yorker.

The ship, called VSS Unity, failed to climb into space quickly enough, causing a yellow warning light to appear on the pilot’s console as the ship proceeded toward the space at twice the speed of sound, The New Yorker reported, citing eight people with knowledge of Virgin Galactic’s space flight program.

The yellow light and the ship’s off-course path endangered the mission and jeopardized the ship’s chances of remaining in its mandated airspace, which was determined by the FAA, according to the report.

Then the yellow light would have been replaced by a more urgent red light, which one of the pilots on board, Mike Masucci, a retired Air Force pilot, previously said “should scare you,” according to The New Yorker.

Pilots could either take immediate corrective action or shut down the rocket motor, the report said, alleging the safer of the two options was to give up.

A representative from Virgin Galactic, however, disputed the New Yorker’s account of events on board, calling the launch a “safe and successful test flight.”

“When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds that altered the course, pilots and systems monitored the course to ensure it remained within mission parameters,” the representative added.

“Our pilots reacted appropriately to these changing flight conditions exactly as they were trained and in strict accordance with our established procedures.

“Although the ultimate flight path deviated from our original plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to reach space and land safely in our New York spaceport. -Mexico. At no time were the passengers and crew endangered by this change of trajectory.

The representative added that “the safety of our crew and passengers is Virgin Galactic’s top priority”.

Virgin Galactic shares rose more than 6% as of noon Thursday after the company said it planned to launch four people, including two members of the Italian Air Force, into space later this this month or early October when it first commercializes.