During the investigation, the American company stopped the Virgin Galactic aircraft in space – International

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday confirmed to AFP that it would inquire into the details of the famous Virgin Galactic spacecraft in July and that it would not be able to operate new aircraft until it had determined why it was departing. Planned route.

“The Virgin Galactic will not be able to fly SpaceShipTwo again until the FAA approves the final investigation report on the diversion or the issue does not affect public safety,” the agency said.

“During the July 11, 2021 flight, the Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two spacecraft withdrew from its air traffic control authorization when it returned to the United States,” the FAA said in a statement. The company said an investigation into the abuse was “ongoing”.

A report in the weekly magazine “The New Yorker” revealed that security warnings went off in the ship’s cabin during the voyage. Thereafter, the FAA confirmed that the AFP would initiate an investigation because the aircraft had departed from an approved airspace dedicated to the mission.

Virgin Galactic promised that the flight went as planned at that time. The FAA’s decision is a blow to France’s private space agency, which is adjusting its plans to carry customers, paying large sums to travel after the first full – manned test flight.

– Technical Questions –

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

The problem threatening to compromise the Earth’s return phase was the VSS Unity spacecraft, which carried two pilots, Branson and three passengers, and was able to land on a runway in New Mexico.

According to an article by investigative journalist Nicholas Schmidt, the pilots first encountered a yellow light and then a red light, indicating that the spacecraft’s ascent was not very shallow and that the spacecraft’s nose was not perpendicular.

Citing unnamed sources at the French-founded company, the newspaper noted that the safest way to respond to these warnings would be to stop work.

Without the corrective action used by the pilots, the aircraft would not have enough energy to return to its base. The magazine explained that a flashing red light indicates a serious problem, which can have a devastating effect.

The aircraft then crossed an altitude of 80 km, a point established in the United States for space limits, allowing passengers to change their seats and float without gravity.

“We challenge the interpretation and conclusion of the New Yorker article,” Virgin Galactic said in a statement to AFP. “When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds, it changed course, the pilots and systems monitored it and made sure it was within working parameters,” the company explained.

A failure would have tarnished the image of the Virgin Galactic, which invited all press and celebrity audiences to the event.

The 70-year-old Branson won the space race between the millionaires, Jeff Bezos, founder of the giant Amazon, and his company Blue Origin for a few days.