Virgin Galactic Grounded by US Regulators

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic flight to space on July 11th 2021 was hailed at the time as a triumph. It was greeted by a worldwide blizzard of positive publicity. Yet now it appears that things did not go quite as smoothly as it first appeared.

In fact, the official body responsible for regulating United States airspace is so concerned at irregularities in the VSS Unity’s flight path that it has slapped a ban on any future Virgin Galactic launches until the matter is resolved. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the mission departed from its agreed flight path and it is now conducting an official investigation into the matter.

In a strongly worded ruling, it grounded further flights and stated that “Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety.”

What’s the Problem?

It appears that during the rocket powered VSS Unity’s ascent to space, warning lights appeared on the pilot’s console indicating that the spacecraft was not travelling on the correct trajectory. If uncorrected, this would have meant that the mission could not have returned to its correct landing point back at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport in New Mexico.

The pilots did indeed make the necessary corrections, and the flight continued successfully. The problem is that its new trajectory took the spacecraft beyond its specified flight path, thereby leaving the airspace mandated by the FAA. Theoretically, this could have endangered other aircraft in the area. Indeed, Virgin Galactic themselves admit that the VSS Unity had in fact “deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance” for a total of one minute and 41 seconds.

The company insist that its pilots took the necessary action, blaming unexpected high altitude winds for the problems. It also stated that “at no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory, and at no time did the ship travel above any population centres or cause a hazard to the public.”

Not everyone seems to agree with the company’s assessment however. The US weekly publication New Yorker published a particularly critical article, suggesting that the mission should have been aborted if the company had followed its own flight protocols.

Furthermore, ex-Virgin Galactic test pilot Mark “Forger” Stucky stated that the claimed strong winds were well within normal limits and that the spacecraft had “entered Class A airspace without authorization.” He seemed to be suggesting pilot error was a more plausible explanation for the flight path mishap.

What Happens Next?

Until the FAA completes its investigation, it is difficult to be sure. Virgin Galactic had already announced its next flight – a research mission to be carried out in conjunction with the Italian Air Force. This had been scheduled for the end of September or early October, but this timetable is unlikely to be met.

Safety considerations are of course paramount when it comes to space flights. Any serious mishaps or accidents could be disastrous not only for the occupants of the flight, but also for the short term future of the space tourism industry.

In fact, following the proposed Italian mission, the company’s aircraft and spaceplanes were scheduled to be undergoing an extended maintenance and upgrade programme. This is expected to take around six months

So long as Virgin Galactic’s schedule is not extensively disrupted by the FAA’s investigation, missions are expected to resume in the middle of 2022 with a final test flight. A full commercial service is planned to begin toward the end of the year.