Virgin Galactic shares erupt as company plans to redo space flight test as early as February 13

Virgin Galactic is gearing up for its next spaceflight attempt, with the company announcing Monday that it will repeat its failed December flight test as early as February 13.

The space tourism company said that one of the main objectives of the space flight tests “will be to test the repair work that has been completed since … the on-board computer has shut down the ignition of the rocket engine. “.

“The team has since conducted the root cause analysis, completed the required corrective work and performed extensive ground testing. The next step will be to assess and verify this work during a rocket-powered flight,” said Virgin Galactic in a press release. .

Virgin Galactic shares have risen 9% in pre-market trading since its previous close.

Virgin Galactic will also target each of the initial objectives of the December flight attempt, “including the evaluation of the customer’s cabin elements, the test of the spacecraft’s live broadcast capability on the ground, and the evaluation of the stabilizers. improved horizontals and flight controls during the relaunch phase of flight, ”the company said.

After the flight test, Virgin Galactic said it will “conduct a thorough review of the data” to “inform the next steps of the test flight program”. Before the disrupted December flight, Virgin Galactic expected to complete the last three space flight tests before starting commercial flights. The second and third space flight tests were previously scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

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