Virgin Galactic said it would focus on an “enhancement program” to improve the performance of its rocket-powered plane VSS Unity and the mother ship from which it launches. It will also carry out physical inspections after a lab test “flagged a possible reduction in the strength margins of certain materials.”
“While this new lab test data has had no impact on the vehicles, our test flight protocols have clearly defined strength margins, and further analysis will assess whether any additional work is required to keep them at or above established levels,” the company said in a statement.
The company said that a test flight, Unity 23, that had been expected as early as this month will also be delayed. The flight will carry three paying crew members from the Italian Air Force and the country’s National Research Council.
“Our decisions are driven by detailed and thorough analysis, and we fly based on the most accurate and comprehensive data available,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement.
“The re-sequencing of our enhancement period and the Unity 23 flight underscores our safety-first procedures, provides the most efficient path to commercial service, and is the right approach for our business and our customers,” he added.
Virgin Galactic said the delays are not related to its recent probe into a potential defect in a supplier component. It said that issue has been resolved.
Branson’s flight, Unity 22, was investigated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for deviating from its assigned flight path. Virgin Galactic said in September that it had been cleared to fly again after the regulator accepted its “corrective actions.”
More than 600 people — who purchased tickets for between $200,000 and $250,000 when Virgin Galactic sold its first batch of tickets nearly a decade ago — are already on the waiting list for a flight.
— Jackie Wattles contributed reporting.