Virgin Galactic postpones first commercial research space flight until October

Virgin Galactic has postponed its first commercial fact-finding mission with the Italian Air Force until mid-October as a precaution. The delay was caused by a potential manufacturing defect at a supplier.

Virgin Galactic writes that the company is delaying its Unity 23 mission with the Italian Air Force after being warned of this potential defect by a supplier. The possible production error would be in the flight control system.

“At this point, it is not yet known whether the defect is present in the company’s vehicles and what repair work may be required,” reports Virgin Galactic. The company adds that it is currently conducting inspections with the supplier in question. The space company writes that it has postponed the mission because of “an abundance of caution.”

The Unity 23 mission was initially scheduled for late September or early October, but is now set to take place “mid-October.” The company will later share a more concrete launch date. During the mission, crew members from the Italian Air Force and the Italian National Research Council would be transported to space.

The delay is not related to an ongoing investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration, according to the company. That government agency is currently investigating Virgin Galactic’s first manned test flight, The New Yorker wrote in early September. During that flight, Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft flew outside its designated airspace for a minute. The company will not be allowed to fly its SpaceShipTwo spacecraft until the FAA has issued a ruling, writes Reuters news agency.

Virgin Galactic’s first fully-manned test flight at the end of July