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FAA clears Virgin Galactic to fly passengers to space as commercial spaceflight race intensifies

By Zach Halaschak
Published June 25, 2021 3:15pm ET
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FAA clears Virgin Galactic to fly passengers to space as commercial spaceflight race intensifies
In this Sept. 25, 2013, file photo, British entrepreneur Richard Branson poses with SpaceShipTwo at a Virgin Galactic hangar at Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif. | (Reed Saxon/AP)

The Federal Aviation Administration has given Virgin Galactic the green light to launch commercial travelers into space.

Shares of Virgin Galactic, which was founded by British business magnate Richard Branson, soared upon the news on Friday morning and traded up as much as 20%. The company hailed the FAA’s decision to update its commercial space transportation operator license after it completed its first manned space flight in May.

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