Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic declares Spaceport America ready for SpaceShipTwo
As Virgin Galactic prepares to finish the test program for its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle, the company says the New Mexico spaceport it will operate from is ready.
Investors don’t see Virgin Galactic deal as model for space industry
Virgin Galactic’s merger with a publicly-traded investment company is likely a one-off event based on the company and people involved, and not a sign of more fundamental changes in the industry, investors argue.
Virgin Galactic projects rapid growth and profitability after going public
With an $800 million infusion thanks to a merger with a public investment vehicle, Virgin Galactic expects to rapidly build up commercial operations and be profitable as soon as 2021.
Virgin Galactic to merge with investment company, go public
Virgin Galactic announced July 9 it had reached an agreement to merge with a public investment vehicle, raising several hundred million dollars of capital and allowing the company to become publicly traded.
Virgin Galactic prepares to move vehicles, staff to Spaceport America
Virgin Galactic plans to move its spaceship, carrier aircraft and flight operations personnel this summer from Mojave, California, to New Mexico’s Spaceport America, company executives announced May 10.
Virgin Galactic expects rapid conclusion of SpaceShipTwo test flights after downtime
Virgin Galactic’s chief pilot believes the company will be able to go through the remainder of its SpaceShipTwo test program fairly quickly once test flights of the suborbital spaceplane resume.
Lunar habitat and rocket engines on display this year at Space Symposium
In addition to more than 200 exhibitors spread over two exhibit halls, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin and Virgin Galactic have brought along full-scale space hardware this year for outdoor display during the show.
SpaceShipTwo flies to the edge of space again
SpaceShipTwo successfully flew to the edge of space for the second time Feb. 22, carrying three people for the first time as Virgin Galactic moved closer to beginning commercial operations of the suborbital spaceplane.
Bezos emphasizes altitude advantage of New Shepard over SpaceShipTwo
As Blue Origin prepares to start flying people on its New Shepard suborbital vehicle, the company’s founder says the altitude the vehicle can reach will put it at an advantage over Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.
Virgin Galactic reschedules SpaceShipTwo flight for Feb. 22
Virgin Galactic scrubbed the Feb. 20 flight test for SpaceShipTwo, the air-launched suborbital spaceplane, due to high winds in Mojave, California. The flight test is now scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22.
SpaceShipTwo aims to reach space again
Virgin Galactic plans to conduct a fifth test flight Feb. 20 of its suborbital spaceplane SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity.
Virgin Galactic pilots join an exclusive club with FAA astronaut wings
The two pilots who flew SpaceShipTwo to the edge of space in December received commercial astronaut wings last week, joining an elite group that won’t necessarily become much larger even with the anticipated growth of commercial spaceflight.
Foust Forward | Space tourism’s image problem
For the very patient advocates of space tourism, the good news is that 2019 may finally be the year that tourists get to fly on suborbital vehicles.
Virgin Galactic lays off staff as test program continues
Suborbital spaceflight company Virgin Galactic laid off about 40 people earlier this month as part of a realignment of “skill sets” in the company’s workforce as it prepares to shift into commercial operations later this year.
Branson expects commercial SpaceShipTwo flights to begin in mid-2019
The founder of Virgin Galactic says he now expects to fly on the company’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle around the middle of this year after a series of test flights starting in the next several weeks.
Virgin Galactic flight wins praise from government and industry
While some question whether Virgin Galactic’s latest SpaceShipTwo test flight actually went into space, a number of government officials and industry organizations have few doubts that it did.
