US Aviation Agency Investigates Branson Virgin Galactic Flight Diversion

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (Reuters) – The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday said it was investigating a deviation in the flight descent of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane that carried British billionaire Richard Branson at the edge of space on July 11.

New Yorker magazine reported earlier that the regulator was investigating an off-course descent. An FAA spokesperson told Reuters that the vehicle “deviated from its air traffic control clearance upon return to Spaceport America. The FAA investigation is ongoing.”

Virgin Galactic acknowledged in a statement to Reuters that “the ultimate flight path deviated from our original plan”, but added that it “did not fly outside the lateral limits of protected airspace” .

The company stated that “the flight descended below the altitude of the airspace…” for a short distance and a time (1 minute and 41 seconds) before re-entering the restricted airspace.

He added that “at no time did the ship travel over a population center or pose a danger to the public.” The company said it was “working in partnership with the FAA to manage the airspace for future flights.”

Virgin Galactic said that “when the vehicle encountered high altitude winds that altered the path, pilots and systems monitored the path to ensure it remained within mission parameters.”

The New Yorker reported that during the flight, a red light flashed on the ship’s console, indicating an “entry descent cone warning”. Virgin Galactic said “at no time were the passengers and crew endangered due to this change of course.”

Branson, one of six Virgin Galactic employees who took part in the flight, soaring more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert, in July touted the mission as a forerunner of a new era of space tourism and said the company he founded in 2004 was set to begin commercial operations next year.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Grant McCool

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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