Virgin Galactic cleared to fly again after a spell on Federal Aviation Administration's naughty step
- Reference: 1632999670
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/09/30/virgin_galactic_faa/
- Source link:
Owner Richard Branson's high altitude jaunt on the [2]Unity 22 flight in July attracted the ire of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) after the rocketplane, SpaceShipTwo, ventured outside of its allocated airspace.
SpaceShipTwo, dubbed Unity, landed safely with a jubilant Branson on board but future flights were put on hold [3]while the matter was investigated .
[4]
The inquiry began on 11 August and has now concluded. The recommendations, according to Virgin Galactic, include expanding the protected airspace to allow for a greater variety of trajectories and adding steps to ensure real-time mission notifications are sent to FAA Air Traffic Control.
[5]
[6]
Virgin Galactic has remained tight-lipped over what happened on the Unity 22 flight that upset the FAA, preferring instead to [7]celebrate its upcoming first commercial mission even as The New Yorker [8]published an alarming account of an off-course flight.
The next mission was originally scheduled for late September or early October but, FAA investigation aside, had already slipped deeper into October thanks to [9]a potentially defective flight control component .
[10]SpaceX successfully sends four amateurs into orbit for three-day tour
[11]SpaceX prepares to launch four civilians and a glass dome into space
[12]The day has a 'y' in it, so Virgin Galactic has announced another delay
[13]After failing to make it to orbit, Firefly Aerospace asserts it has 'arrived'
A mid-October flight sets up another showdown between Branson and rival spacelord Jeff Bezos and his unfortunately shaped New Shepard rocket, which is [14]due to fly again on 12 October with a crew including Planet Labs co-founder Dr [15]Chris Boshuizen and Medidata co-founder Glen de Vries.
The other two crew members on the NS-18 mission have yet to be announced, although [16]TMZ speculated that one might be the actor William Shatner. If true, the 90-year-old Star Trek veteran would comfortably trump Bezos' previous guest, 82-year-old [17]Wally Funk , in the geriatric stakes. Neither Shatner nor Blue Origin have confirmed the actor's inclusion.
[18]
Blue Origin's approach to sub-orbital flight is through a booster and capsule arrangement, with the former making a powered landing and the latter returning to Earth via parachute. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo takes off attached to a carrier aircraft, dubbed Eve, and is released at between 15km and 16km up before igniting its rocket engine to continue its flight. It subsequently glides back to a runway landing.
Neither is currently capable of achieving orbit. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-cleared-to-fly-following-conclusion-of-faa-inquiry/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/12/virgin_galactic_successful_crewed_flight/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/03/virgin_galactic_grounded/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YVXfUEy3XNvHC33zfqGo8AAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YVXfUEy3XNvHC33zfqGo8AAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YVXfUEy3XNvHC33zfqGo8AAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-announces-first-commercial-research-mission/
[8] https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-red-warning-light-on-richard-bransons-space-flight
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/13/virgin_galactic/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/16/inspiration4_launch_success/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/15/inspiration4/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/13/virgin_galactic/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/06/firefly_engine_shutdown/
[14] https://www.blueorigin.com/news/next-human-flight-on-october-12
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2010/07/30/nexus_one_rocket/
[16] https://www.tmz.com/2021/09/24/william-shatner-going-space-jeff-bezos-blue-origin/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/01/wally_funk_is_going_to_space/
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YVXfUEy3XNvHC33zfqGo8AAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "Virgin Galactic has remained tight-lipped over what happened"
And although this news seems to have come via Virgin Galactic themselves (at least I can't seem to see anything directly from the FAA), and therefore may have been filtered somewhat, there's no mention so far of any findings that the pilots did anything wrong, or of any required change in how the pilots should respond to a similar situation in the future, those that were calling for the pilots' heads in the thread about the original incident should note.
Re: "Virgin Galactic has remained tight-lipped over what happened"
The pilots will respond differently next time - they will notify ATC.
In the original incident, they didn't because they were neither briefed nor obliged to do so. They will be next time.
From now on, ATC will have the final say over whether the mission must be aborted.
Re: "Virgin Galactic has remained tight-lipped over what happened"
From now on, ATC will have the final say over whether the mission must be aborted.
I thought they had a mission control monitoring such things, but I guess I was wrong. That's a bit more cowboy than I expected.
Normally, mission control monitors the trajectory and updates the crew on their abort options - for example the "single engine - Zaragoza" call during Space Shuttle ascent meant if they lost 2 engines, they had enough energy to make it to the strip at Zaragoza, Spain.
Re: "Virgin Galactic has remained tight-lipped over what happened"
Not so. They publicly explained that a slightly prolonged spell at an altitude with higher-than-forecast winds blew them a little off course. They also noted that such events are common enough in regular commercial aviation.
The problem was that it blew them off course far enough to make it a real concern that they had the range to glide back to a proper landing. And normal aviation doesn't have to worry about that sort of thing.
Recommendations
" include expanding the protected airspace to allow for a greater variety of trajectories and adding steps to ensure real-time mission notifications"
So basically Virgin need to ask for more space to fly inside (because they can't guarantee their aircraft will stay inside the lines) and they need to talk to air traffic control?
Re: Recommendations
Yep. Is all.
"Galactic" - they cant even make it to space, - have you been missold??
I want a refund for all that chocolate I've consumed over the years then. Galaxy, Milky Way, Mars, ... none of them got me to said places*
*Well, technically we're already in the galaxy/milky way.
Ford Galaxy can barely get to the other side of the road ... And as for Apple, Tangerine and Apricot - never even a hint of a fruit salad to be seen!
"Neither is currently capable of achieving orbit"
And as long as they can't, they're just toys for (billoinnaire) boys.
Billionnaire will billionnaire, but their toys are going to have to become useful if they want to make anything out of it.
People are not going to pay $100K to spend two minutes at the edge of space.
Re: "Neither is currently capable of achieving orbit"
The backlog of pre-ordered wants a word with you, suggesting many rich people are willing to pay vast sums for exactly that.
Re: "Neither is currently capable of achieving orbit"
I wonder who will be killed first.
"Virgin Galactic has remained tight-lipped over what happened"
Not so. They publicly explained that a slightly prolonged spell at an altitude with higher-than-forecast winds blew them a little off course. They also noted that such events are common enough in regular commercial aviation.
The FAA's concern has always been that they flew outside the tickbox. Solution: make the spaceplane tickbox bigger, and add edge detection to the procedures. But that needed a little time to confirm.