The outcome could have been fatal.
The United States Aviation Agency (FAA) announced on Thursday that the Virgin Galactic spacecraft could not take off again until the conclusion of an investigation into an incident during a flight on July 11, which carried in the Richard Branson space.
The British billionaire founder of Virgin has styled Jeff Bezos, the boss of Amazon and his ship New Shepard.
Their flight into space took place July 20, 9 days later.
A failure would have greatly damaged the image of Virgin Galactic, which had invited all the press and many prestigious spectators - including billionaire Elon Musk - for this event broadcast live.
Wait for FAA approval
"Virgin Galactic will not be able to fly its SpaceShipTwo ship in the air until the FAA approves the final investigation report or determines that the issues related to the incident do not affect public safety," she said. know.
The investigation relates to a deviation of the trajectory during this highly publicized flight, which was supposed to mark the company's entry into the era of space tourism with a bang.
The FAA had earlier confirmed it was investigating the July 11 flight.
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"A unique experience": billionaire Richard Branson went to space
"SpaceShipTwo deviated from its air traffic control clearance by returning to Spaceport America," the space base used by the company in the New Mexico desert, she said in a statement.
A red light in the cockpit
The development comes after the publication of a New Yorker article on Wednesday that revealed that security alerts were lit in the ship's cockpit during the flight, synonymous with a serious problem that could have resulted in a fatal outcome.
During Richard Branson's space flight, a red warning light appeared.
Aborting the rocket motor would have been the safest way to respond, according to company sources, but that “would have dashed Branson's hopes of beating his rival,” @nickschmidle writes.
https://t.co/d9j5hs6aK3
- The New Yorker (@NewYorker) September 2, 2021
The trajectory problem threatened to compromise the return phase to Earth, when the spacecraft hovered until it landed on a runway, according to the newspaper.
In a statement ahead of the FAA's announcement, Virgin Galactic strongly contested the article's findings.
An “appropriate response” from the pilots
“When the spacecraft encountered high-altitude winds, which altered the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure that it remained within mission parameters,” he said. 'business.
“Our pilots responded appropriately to these changing flight conditions.
Neither the public nor the crew were endangered, Virgin Galactic argued.
“Although the final path deviated from our initial plan, it was an intentional and controlled flight path,” she said.
This ban on flying until further notice is a blow for Virgin Galactic, which had just confirmed Thursday the holding of a new test flight "at the end of September or the beginning of October".
This flight was to be devoted to scientific research, in partnership with the Italian Air Force
The group's action dropped sharply after the FAA's announcement.
