On July 11, 2021, Richard Branson became the first entrepreneur to go into space. Nearly two years later, his company Virgin Galactic will (finally) return to space. The company, victim of major technical and financial problems in recent months, has just announced the good news in a press release.
In the coming weeks, a test flight with four members of the company should take place, allowing the solidity of the rocket plane to be confirmed. At the end of June, the first 100% commercial flight should take place. For the company, such a flight marks the end of a long crossing of the desert.
After the July 11 mission that propelled Virgin Galactic into the limelight, the firm never managed to capitalize on this momentum (unlike Blue Origin). Victim of numerous technical problems during and after the flight, the company’s unique rocket plane remained grounded for many months.
Virgin Galactic vs Blue Origin : que le combat commence
Two years ago Virgin Galactic pulled the rug out from under Blue Origin. In a chaotic flight, company founder and president Richard Branson reached the frontier of space, becoming the first entrepreneur to achieve such a feat with his own company.
10 days later, Jeff Bezos will achieve a similar feat with his rocket. This short lead will, however, be of no use. Blue Origin is quickly taking the lead and the company is carrying out several commercial flights during the year 2022.
For its part, Virgin Galactic suffered several hard blows. The first, conducted by the FAA, focused on the safety and soundness of the rocket plane during flight. The second concerns the finances of the company. While the flight of July 11 had opened the Pandora’s box of space tourism, Virgin Galactic is unable to capitalize on it and investors are flying away one after the other.
In the latest sign of the company’s poor health, satellite launch company Virgin Orbit had to shut down all operations just a few weeks ago. Several experts are therefore questioning the real and structural capacity of Virgin Galactic. Can the company send people into space safely? The answer should be given at the end of June.
A concept too particular to become popular?
Almost 5 years after its presentation, Virgin Galactic’s rocket plane concept seems like a real curse. Impossible to give up today, he who cost far too much, he puts the company in a dead end. The development cost Richard Branson and his associates billions, but the ship still does not give satisfaction.
On paper, however, the use of a modified Boeing 747 as the first stage reduces costs and facilitates maintenance. Richard Branson hopes that in the medium term his company will be able to send tourists into space every week.
But such a schedule requires total flight success. However, when it returned to Earth, the rocket plane that sent Richard Branson to the limits of the atmosphere was badly damaged. According to several experts, the British billionaire was very lucky to return safe and sound to Earth.
