Virgin Galactic is allowed to conduct commercial space flights with humans

Virgin Galactic has received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration to conduct commercial space flights with customers. The company wants to do three more test flights before starting commercial flights.

Virgin Galactic’s current commercial space transportation license has been expanded by the FAA, which means that Virgin is now allowed to go into space with space flight participants. This makes Virgin Galactic the first spaceline to receive a license from the FAA to fly with customers. Virgin Galactic has had a commercial space transportation license since 2016.

The aviation company also states that, based on further investigation, the test of May 22 was successful. It was the third manned test flight of the VSS Unity and the first spaceflight from Spaceport America in New Mexico. In that flight, the VSS Unity reached a speed of Mach 3, or 3704km/h, and reached space at an altitude of 89 kilometers.

Virgin Galactic now wants to conduct three more test flights, including a first ‘fully crewed’ test flight this summer. The plan is ultimately to take tourists to the edge of space with the VSS Unity, where they experience weightlessness for a few minutes and then return to Earth. VSS Unity is first launched into the air via the VMS Eve, after which Unity detaches and continues to ascend.