Kelly Latimer to Oversee Development of Next-Gen Motherships, Delta Class Spacecraft

Virgin Galactic has announced the selection of Lieutenant Colonel Kelly Latimer for a promotion to director of flight testing.

The veteran pilot and retired USAF officer joined Virgin as its first female test pilot, and has been serving in recent years on the VMS Eve mothership. She was pilot in command for the Unity 21 mission, and second in command for Unity 22. Despite her newfound responsibilities, she will continue to serve as a Virgin Galactic line pilot and fly the company spacecraft on any test and commercial missions that need her. 

As the "Director of Flight Test", Latimer will oversee the company's flight testing program in its entirety, from design, planning, execution, and post-flight analysis. From now on, she will lead the flight test engineering team and manage mission control engineers who gather and analyze flight data to validate the safety and performance of the spaceflight system. Additionally, Latimer will supervise the completion of the (currently paused) flight test program for Virgin Galactic’s current fleet. Most of all, she will oversee the development of Virgin's next-gen motherships and Delta class spaceships. 

“The role of Director of Flight Test is essential to our mission,” said Mike Moses, president, space missions and safety at Virgin Galactic. “We are on the precipice of delivering commercial space travel at scale, and the safe, efficient, and timely execution of our flight test programs will be a key part of our success. I have had the privilege of working alongside Kelly since she joined us more than six years ago. She is not only a world-class pilot but has the experience and leadership skills to grow and run a high-performing team responsible for the flight test programs for our current and future vehicles.”

Latimer is jazzed about the promotion. “I am honored to be named Director of Flight Test for Virgin Galactic to lead both a distinguished team and flight test program,” said Latimer. “My whole career has been devoted to piloting and testing aircraft in an effort to design and develop technologies and open up new frontiers. It has been a lifelong passion to make space more accessible, and to contribute to this effort alongside the talented men and women at Virgin Galactic is an absolute privilege.”

FMI: www.virgingalactic.com