Virgin Galactic completes final test before launching paying customers

M — Virgin Galactic completed what is expected to be its final test flight Thursday before taking paying customers on brief trips to space, marking what the space tourism company described as a “fantastic achievement” in what has been a long road to commercial operations.” Virgin Galactic tweeted.Federal aviation authorities banned Virgin Galactic launches after Branson’s flight to investigate a mishap.Virgin Galactic has been working for more than a decade to send paying passengers on short space hops and in 2021 finally won the federal government’s approval.
The next step will be for Virgin Galactic to analyze data from Thursday’s flight and inspect the planes and other equipment as the company prepares for commercial service, possibly as soon as late June.Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier has acknowledged the delays and missed deadlines over the years.