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May 23, 2021

FAA Claims A Milestone -- 400 Licensed Commercial Space Launches and Counting

Launch Activity Has Dramatically Accelerated From Only One In 2011 To A Record 39 In 2020

Saturday’s Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico marks the 400th launch that the FAA has licensed. This achievement is made possible by the U.S. commercial space industry’s ingenuity and the FAA’s commitment to public safety. FAA licensing is a critical step in protecting public safety during commercial space operations. An FAA license is required to conduct any commercial space launch or reentry, the operation of any launch or reentry site by U.S. citizens anywhere in the world, or by any individual or entity within the United States. The FAA works with operators to make sure they are meeting the requireme

Third Spaceflight Deemed A Succcess After Previous Inflight Abort

Virgin Galactic has completed its third spaceflight and the first ever spaceflight from Spaceport America, New Mexico. The Spre-announced Saturday flight allows New Mexico to become the third US state to launch humans into space. VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve, and reached space, at an altitude of 55.45 miles before gliding smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America. On VSS Unity’s flight deck were CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay, while Kelly Latimer and Michael Masucci piloted VMS Eve. CJ, who flew as pilot-in-command, becomes the first person ever to have flown to space from three different states.