Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight check on observe to launch this fall

House tourism enterprise Virgin Galactic on Wednesday mentioned it stays on observe to conduct its subsequent check spaceflight within the coming weeks.

“We anticipate our first spaceflight from Spaceport America to happen later this fall and we’re happy to substantiate that we’re nonetheless on observe to satisfy this timeframe,” the corporate mentioned in a weblog publish.

Virgin Galactic final month mentioned in an FCC submitting that the window for the subsequent spaceflight was deliberate to open on Oct. 22, with check flights of the spacecraft’s service plane scheduled for Oct. 1 and Oct. 7. The corporate clarified on Wednesday that, “though preparations are going properly, we’re not fairly on the stage the place we will verify particular deliberate flight dates for both” the check flights or spaceflight. Virgin Galactic mentioned that it “will share updates for launch dates nearer to the launch window being confirmed.”

Shares of Virgin Galactic have been down about 3% in noon buying and selling from its earlier shut of $21.81 earlier than the announcement.

Moreover, the subsequent spaceflight can be its first from the corporate’s working base at Spaceport America in New Mexico. It should even be Virgin Galactic’s first spaceflight since February 2019, when the corporate launched chief astronauts coach Beth Moses because the spacecraft’s first check passenger.

Virgin Galactic introduced that the check flight will carry analysis payload underneath NASA’s Flight Alternatives program.

The Southwest Analysis Institute additionally introduced on Wednesday that planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern can be one of many first to fly on a yet-to-be-scheduled Virgin Galactic mission, accompanying a payload of NASA-funded science experiments.

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