#FAA clears Virgin Galactic to fly passengers to space

#FAA clears Virgin Galactic to fly passengers to space

“#FAA clears Virgin Galactic to fly passengers to space” Virgin Galactic announced Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the company to fly passengers to space, a major step toward the launch of commercial operations. The regulatory move could set the stage for Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson to try to beat fellow billionaire…

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#Virgin Galactic to fly researcher to space for conducting experiments

#Virgin Galactic to fly researcher to space for conducting experiments

“#Virgin Galactic to fly researcher to space for conducting experiments” British billionaire Sir Richard Branson’s spaceship company, Virgin Galactic Holdings said on Thursday it will fly researcher Kellie Gerardi to space for testing new healthcare technologies. Gerardi, a researcher with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, will serve as a payload specialist and experiment with…

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#Virgin Galactic stock soars after successful test flight

#Virgin Galactic stock soars after successful test flight

“#Virgin Galactic stock soars after successful test flight” Shares of Virgin Galactic soared more than 25 percent in premarket trading Monday morning after the company completed its first spaceflight in over two years.  The successful test flight, which was completed Saturday, saw the company’s VSS Unity spacecraft hurtle to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere…

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#Virgin Galactic unveils VSS Imagine tourist spaceship

#Virgin Galactic unveils VSS Imagine tourist spaceship

“#Virgin Galactic unveils VSS Imagine tourist spaceship” Virgin Galactic unveiled its latest spacecraft Tuesday as it prepares to continue testing ships that it hopes will ferry tourists out of Earth’s atmosphere. The VSS Imagine is the first of Virgin’s “SpaceShip III” models, a new class of vehicles that the shuttle builder says will be easier…

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#Virgin Galactic shares plummet after chairman dumps 3M stake

#Virgin Galactic shares plummet after chairman dumps $213M stake

“#Virgin Galactic shares plummet after chairman dumps $213M stake” Virgin Galactic’s stock took a nosedive Friday after chairman Chamath Palihapitiya cashed out his personal stake for about $213 million. Shares in Richard Branson’s space-exploration firm tumbled 21 percent to a low of $23.95 after Palihapitiya, a prominent venture capitalist, revealed that he dumped the last…

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#Capitalists in space

#Capitalists in space

“#Capitalists in space” America’s private-sector “conquest” of space continues. The latest: On Sunday, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit successfully deployed 10 mini satellites into orbit using a two-stage rocket fired from a converted jumbo jet. The company’s LauncherOne rocketed into Earth orbit from “Cosmic Girl,” a specially outfitted Boeing 747-400, over the Pacific. The space vehicle…

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#Virgin Galactic aborts mission after malfunction

#Virgin Galactic aborts mission after malfunction

“#Virgin Galactic aborts mission after malfunction” A Virgin Galactic spacecraft didn’t get very far during a test flight on Saturday — instead gliding safely back to its New Mexico launch site after its rocket motor failed to ignite in mid-air. “The ignition sequence for the rocket motor did not complete. Vehicle and crew are in…

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#Virgin Galactic preparing for test flight from spaceport

#Virgin Galactic preparing for test flight from spaceport

“#Virgin Galactic preparing for test flight from spaceport” ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The window opened Friday for Virgin Galactic’s first rocket-powered test flight from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico as the company prepares for commercial flights next year, but the exact timing of the launch will depend on the weather. Virgin Galactic posted on social…

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