NewsBytes by Chandraveer Mathur 9/12/2021
Richard Branson-led Virgin Galactic has been forced to postpone its first commercial research flight named Unity 23. The cause of the delay has been reported to be a manufacturing defect in the flight control actuation system. Moreover, the company isn't cleared for spaceflight until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concludes an ongoing investigation and lifts its temporary ban. Here are more details.
In this article
• Virgin Galactic claims launch has been delayed as precaution
• Unity 23 will fly three people from Italian Air Force
• Fixing the defect alone won't clear Unity 23 for spaceflight
• Virgin Galactic could be under pressure to ensure safety
Virgin Galactic claims launch has been delayed as precaution
The Unity 23 flight was slated for sometime in late September or early October. However, Virgin Galactic has pushed the launch date back to mid-October. This is because a third-party supplier warned of a potential "manufacturing defect" in a component of the flight control system during test flight preparations. Virgin Galactic said the launch has been delayed with an "abundance of caution."
More:
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/virgin-galactic-s-unity-23-delayed-to-mid-october/story
