Virgin Galactic, the billionaire Richard Branson-founded private spaceflight company, said Friday that it has gained FAA clearance to carry humans to space.
In the next months, Virgin Galactic plans to undertake its “first fully crewed test flight.”
The test flight, which took place on May 22, carried a two-person crew into space for a limited period of time before landing safely at New Mexico’s Spaceport America. The trip was the first time humans were launched into space from New Mexico, and it was Virgin Galactic’s third crewed test flight.
According to the statistics, the flight “performed beautifully,” according to Colglazier.
The FAA’s clearance for Virgin Galactic comes amid recent escalations in the corporate space race, which has become a battleground for billionaires.
Meanwhile, rival SpaceX has had a busy few months as well. By the end of the year, it plans to fly the first all-civilian crew to space, backed by software entrepreneur Jared Isaacman.