Final Flight Test Clears Way For Virgin Galactic Commercial Service

Virgin Galactic’s Unity SpaceShipTwo

Virgin Galactic’s Unity SpaceShipTwo returned to suborbital space on May 25 for a shakedown flight ahead of the start of commercial service in late June.

Credit: Virgin Galactic
Nearly 20 years ago, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson signed a deal to license the technology for an air-launched suborbital space transportation system, with an eye toward flying passengers as early as 2007. The timeline proved wildly ambitious, but after a final almost two-year delay for...
Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

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