On Wednesday, the British space company, founded by Richard Branson and Burt Rutan, announced in an update that the flight would take place “later this autumn”.
Due to the launch of Virgin Galactics Base at Spaceport America in New Mexico, the flight will be manned by two pilots and carrying three research payloads as part of the NASA Flight Opportunities Program, which brings together scientists, academics, and aerospace organizations to conduct research. to address space challenges and commercial opportunities.
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The payloads will be transported in the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity, the first vehicle The Spaceship Company built for Virgin Galactic.
Virgin Galactic must first perform a series of pre-flight tests. The pilots train on site in simulators and are tested in the cockpit of the company’s mother ship, VMS Eve.
Practice runs are also planned to check everything from the system functions to the chassis. A “full rehearsal” will take place at Virgin Galactic’s base, which will include the same tank tests as helium and nitrous oxide loads that will occur when the VSS Unity launches.
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While Virgin Galactic plans to conduct its first space flight in the fall and says that “we are still on track to meet this timeline,” certain dates for VSS Unity or VMS Eve test flights have not been disclosed.
“Although the preparations are going well, we are not yet at the stage where we can confirm certain planned flight dates for our test flights VSS Unity or VMS Eve,” said the company.
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The news appears to have eroded investor confidence as stocks fell 2.20% to $ 21.33 at the close of the market. In September, shares rose 25% after Wall Street buy recommendations.
Last year, Virgin Galactic commercial director Stephen Attenborough told ZDNet that the emerging commercial space market has the potential to create job opportunities and will benefit other sectors as well.
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