Virgin Galactic may not fly its spaceplane until officials investigate a possible violation during its July 11 voyage.
The Federal Aviation Agency said it is investigating a “mishap” that occurred during the spaceflight company’s mission, confirming Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo “deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance” and flew beyond designated airspace.
“The FAA is overseeing the Virgin Galactic investigation of its July 11 SpaceShipTwo mishap that occurred over Spaceport America, New Mexico,” the agency said in a statement. “SpaceShipTwo deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America.”
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“Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety,” the statement added.
A report published Wednesday detailed the historic flight, which made Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson the first billionaire to travel into space.
Pilots Dave Mackey and Mike Masucci received warning messages about a minute into the flight indicating their flight path was too shallow, according to the New Yorker.
The yellow-lighted caution message then turned red, and the pilots were forced to correct the issue immediately or abort the mission. Mackey and Masucci chose the former but not without flying outside their designated airspace for a minute and 41 seconds during the process, the outlet reported.
Virgin Galactic reportedly acknowledged the company did not immediately notify the FAA of the plane’s venture into unapproved airspace and asserted the incident didn’t pose a risk to civilians.
“Although the flight’s ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico,” a Virgin Galactic spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory, and at no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public.
“FAA representatives were present in our control room during the flight and in post-flight debriefs,” the spokesperson added.
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The company’s July flight was hailed a success after the fact, with Branson saying it marked the “dawn of a new space age.” The Virgin flight — which included Branson, three Virgin Galactic employees, and the two pilots — was followed days later by another trip to space operated by Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos.
It’s unclear whether the FAA’s grounding SpaceShipTwo will be lifted in time for Virgin Galactic’s next scheduled spaceflight test, which the company plans to initiate between late September to early October.
