Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. faced an in-flight hardware challenge during its recent crewed space tourism flight, according to a statement released by the Richard Branson-founded company on Monday (Feb 5).
The issue involved a pin crucial for aligning Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane, VSS Unity, and its carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, while attached on the ground. However, during the January 26 flight, this alignment pin became detached. It’s worth noting that this pin doesn’t bear the weight of the spaceplane during its ascent to altitude, as reported by Bloomberg.
“At no time did the detached alignment pin pose a safety impact to the vehicles or the crew on board,” said the company in its statement.
Post-flight discovery
Virgin Galactic discovered the detached pin during routine post-flight evaluations and promptly informed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 31.
The cause of the pin malfunction remains unspecified, and the company, in collaboration with the FAA, is currently conducting a comprehensive review. As of now, the FAA has not provided immediate comments on the matter.
Virgin Galactic’s history of in-flight challenges
Having inaugurated commercial spaceflight operations in 2023 after nearly two decades of development, Virgin Galactic has encountered various in-flight issues over the years.
Notably, in 2021, during founder Branson’s space journey, the spaceplane deviated from its intended flight path, prompting an FAA-led mishap investigation.
Furthermore, in 2014, a Virgin Galactic-operated spaceplane crashed, resulting in the unfortunate death of a test pilot and injuring another due to premature wing shifting midflight.
Virgin Galactic, currently planning its next mission between April and June, commits to providing further updates after completing the review with the FAA. This examination occurs against the backdrop of increased scrutiny directed at the FAA and the aerospace industry, influenced by the fallout from manufacturing issues with Boeing Co.’s 737 Max 9 jets.
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However, it’s worth noting that the FAA currently lacks the authority to enforce safety standards on commercial spacecraft carrying humans to space. Nevertheless, this legislative limitation is expected to expire on March 8.
The January 26 flight marked a significant milestone for Virgin Galactic as it was the first time the company sent four tourists to space without a Virgin Galactic astronaut serving as support staff.
(With inputs from agencies)
