Virgin Galactic got a key key from the FAA to steal passengers to space, something that the company is still aimed at doing during the summer. The approval extends the existing Virgin Galactic license by the US Federal Aviation Transport of goods in space and has come after the company’s 22 May test flight has proved success.
Virgin Galactic organized a license from the commercial space transport operator with the FAA since 2016. However, as indicated its name, it only allows the company to execute freight operations; If he wants to wear pay passengers, he needed more advanced approvals.
The trial flight in May 2021 of VMS EVE and VSS Unity was designed to produce the last evidence that the required FAA to grant these approvals. It was the first time that a space lamp was launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico and the third Space Zone equipped with Virgin Galactic. With a maximum altitude of 55.5 miles – or nearly 300,000 feet – it was considered a successful flight to space.
“The test of the horizontal stabilizer rocket and the improved flight control controls of the spaceship has demonstrated strong performance, in accordance with forecasts,” said Virgin Galactic in a statement on the test. “These improved systems, which allow fine pilot control, will also be deployed in the future spaceships of the company’s fleet.”
In the meantime, he has also successfully undertaken three paid research experiences with the NASA flight opportunity program putting a trio of microgravity tests on board. Finally, Virgin Galactic says that cabin environment data fell into line with its forecasts.
The latest version of the FAA license, LRLO-16-092B (Rev 3), must still be downloaded in the Agency’s database at the time of publication.
This is the first time that Virgin Galactic says that FAA has authorized a spatial line to drive customers. What is interesting, it exists that Jeff Bezos’s blue origin aims to launch a passenger flight to space in front of Virgin Galactic’s planning, with Millionaire Amazonaire to be part of the initial launch team. July 20, 2021.
Virgin Galactic sees spatial tourism as a key business opportunity, alongside freight and microgravity deployments or zero severity search. The company has shown its new spacecraft class III – a brilliant polished chrome vision – in March, although this will only happen in the ground tests this year. The flights of Glide should begin in the summer and the spaceship could possibly be used to undertake private missions at the International Space Station in partnership with NASA.