Virgin Galactic Test Flight Fails to Reach Space

Virgin Galactic’s Saturday test of its SpaceShipTwo Unity vehicle experienced an interruption shortly after release from its carrier aircraft. The company announced on Monday that a safety system prevented the spacecraft’s rocket motor from activating because the computer responsible for monitoring the engines lost communication with them.

Due to this automatic safety shutdown, both SpaceShipTwo Unity and the carrier plane, along with their crews, completed a safe return to Earth and a successful landing. However, the intention of the flight was to reach space, representing a crucial step toward beginning commercial service with customers departing from the company’s New Mexico facility.

Virgin Galactic has previously achieved spaceflight on two separate occasions, once in 2018 and again in 2019. This flight was intended to be the first suborbital mission originating from New Mexico, a necessary prerequisite before launching commercial operations from that location.

According to a company blog post, “Virgin Galactic is currently analyzing data from the flight and has determined that the computer overseeing the propulsion system experienced a loss of connection, activating a fail-safe mechanism that prevented rocket motor ignition.” The post further explained that this system, like others on the spacecraft, is engineered to default to a secure condition whenever power or sensor communication is disrupted. The pilots onboard, along with the engineering and piloting teams in mission control, undergo extensive training and simulation exercises to prepare for various potential outcomes, including a scenario where the rocket motor fails to ignite after separation from the carrier aircraft.

This result is not what the publicly held space tourism company had hoped for, and investor reaction indicates a degree of dissatisfaction. Virgin Galactic’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Colglazier, stated that while the test did not proceed as planned, it demonstrated the effectiveness of the company’s safety protocols. He also indicated that the test flight program will continue, beginning with a repeat of this particular test before moving forward.