Virgin Galactic News

Space Tourism’s Arrival Spurs U.S. Rules for Inevitable Mishaps

U.S. crash investigators preparing for the rapid growth in space tourism from operators such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are formalizing the rules for investigating accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday issued proposed regulations that would create …

Bezos’ 2021 Space Odyssey a Risk Too Far for Insurers

Launching one of the richest individuals on earth into orbit has proved a leap too far for insurers, who are not ready to price the risk of losing Jeff Bezos or his fellow space travelers. Amazon CEO Bezos, a lifelong …

NTSB Says Virgina Galactic Spaceship Crash Caused by Human Error

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that the developer of a commercial spacecraft that broke apart over the Mojave Desert last year failed to protect against the possibility of human error, specifically the co-pilot’s premature unlocking of a braking …

Virgin Galactic’s Space Tourism Plan Back on Track

The only thing interrupting the creosote and mesquite that make up one of New Mexico’s most remote stretches of desert is a pristine runway where Virgin Galactic plans one day to launch the world’s first commercial space-line. In the four …

Fatal Crash Tests Hands-Off Space Tourism Policy

The assumption space tourists would know the personal risks, similar to mountain climbers, led to a hands-off approach to U.S. regulation that is now being tested following last week’s fatal Virgin Galactic Ltd. crash. Congress has prohibited the U.S. government …

Virgin Galactic Plans to Resume Tests in 2015

The space tourism company that suffered a tragic setback when its experimental rocket-powered spaceship broke apart over the California desert could resume test flights as early as next summer if it can finish building a replacement craft, its CEO said …

Spacecraft’s Brake May Have Torn It Apart in Seconds at Mach 1

The air rushing past Virgin Galactic Ltd.’s spacecraft when its braking system deployed at the speed of sound may have torn it apart seconds after it was launched. The system on SpaceShipTwo’s tail, designed to slow the craft as it …

Virgin Spaceship Disaster a Reminder of Fatal ’07 Explosion

The loss of an experimental spaceship that broke up over the Mojave Desert, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another, has renewed criticism of the way the craft’s designer and Virgin Galactic handled a deadly explosion seven years ago. Space …

Consumer Space Travel Dreams Deflate as Accidents Show Risks

Private spaceflight, an industry built on the dream of taking adventurers and scientists aloft, suffered a setback after two accidents in four days highlighted the perils of rocket power. As investigators yesterday began studying a fatal test flight by Richard …

NTSB Says Key Function of Crashed Spacecraft Deployed Early

An investigation into the deadly crash of a Virgin Galactic spaceship has found that a function to help the craft descend into the atmosphere was deployed early, a federal safety official said on Sunday, adding pilot error could not be …