Part of space tourism ship falls and Virgin Galactic is unable to fly

Virgin Galactic is grounded from flights after the company says a small part unintentionally detached from the mothership of its rocket-powered space plane on its most recent space tourism flight.

The loss of the part, called an alignment pin, did not affect the safety of the mission, according to the company. The flight, called Galactic 06, launched on January 26 and marked Virgin Galactic's first space tourism mission of the year, after entering commercial service in 2023.

The company discovered the missing part during routine checks and notified government regulators on Jan. 31, “in accordance with regulations,” Virgin Galactic said in a statement. The pin was located on the underside of Virgin Galactic's mothership, called VMS Eve, which is a twin-fuselage plane designed to carry the space plane, VMS Unity, under its wings to a high altitude before VMS Unity is released. and rise toward the edge of space.

The alignment pin “helps ensure the spacecraft is aligned with the mothership when bringing vehicles together on the ground during pre-flight procedures,” the company said in a statement Monday. The pin also helps transfer “drag and other forces” from the spacecraft to the support structure that supports the rocket-powered plane while it is attached to the VMS Eve mothership, according to the company.

Virgin Galactic said it will work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which licenses commercial rocket launches, on a review of the issue. The FAA said in a statement that it will conduct an “incident investigation” and that the agency “must approve Virgin Galactic’s final report, including corrective actions,” before the company can return to flight.

“The return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the incident does not affect public safety,” according to a statement from the agency. “Additionally, Virgin Galactic must request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates the corrective actions and meets all other licensing requirements.”

Virgin Galactic could not immediately be reached for additional comment Monday evening. Flight Expectations Wider securing structures remained in place during the flight, Virgin Galactic added in the statement, noting that the alignment pin does not “support the weight of the spacecraft, nor does it have an active role after the spacecraft is released.” . VMS Unity usually flies attached to the VMS Eve mothership until it is flying more than 45,000 feet (13,700 meters) above the Earth's surface. Once at altitude, VMS Unity detaches from the mothership and ignites its rocket engine, rising toward the edge of the atmosphere.

Overall, the Galactic 06 mission “was a safe and successful flight carried out in accordance with Virgin Galactic's rigorous flight procedures and protocols,” the company said. “Virgin Galactic flights take place in restricted airspace and at specific geographic launch sites that control risks to people or structures on the ground,” says the Virgin Galactic statement. “The company also observed no damage to the spacecraft or mothership.”

The FAA is charged with giving final authorization to commercial companies hoping to launch rockets and spacecraft. However, the agency's role in this process is only to analyze the potential risk a flight poses to the public, people or property — not the danger to passengers aboard commercial space vehicles, according to a moratorium that expires in March 2024. .

The FAA routinely conducts incident investigations with private companies following a flight failure or other problem during a commercial rocket launch. Virgin Galactic said it “will provide a further update at the conclusion of the joint FAA review and confirm the flight period for the 'Galactic 07' mission, planned for the second quarter of 2024.”