Virgin Galactic

National

Bezos Vs. Branson: The Billionaire Space Race Lifts Off

12:16pm July 11, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

Richard Branson started Virgin Galactic 17 years ago to make space travel possible for his generation. This weekend he'll be on its first fully crewed test flight to space, beating Jeff Bezos by days.

Wally Funk is one of the Mercury 13, a group of women who trained to be astronauts in the early 1960s.

This Pilot Is Headed To Space With Or Without NASA

5:07am August 04, 2017

In 1961, Wally Funk trained to be an astronaut. But, she never got to go to space. Fifty years on, she still dreams of flying among the stars.

A photo released by Virgin Galactic shows a badly injured SpaceShipTwo pilot Peter Siebold drifting under his parachute after last October's accident that destroyed the spacecraft during a test flight.

SpaceShipTwo 'Pilot Was Thrown From The Vehicle' High In Atmosphere

5:50pm July 29, 2015

by Bill Chappell

SpaceShipTwo broke apart soon after it reached supersonic speeds and an altitude of around 50,000 feet. Its pilot says his parachute opened in a "gentlemanly" fashion, after he had fallen for a while.

Queue Listen Now

In a photo released by Scaled Composites, Michael Alsbury, who was killed while co-piloting the test flight of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, is shown.

Co-Pilot Killed In SpaceShipTwo Crash Was Experienced And Steady

4:10pm July 28, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Mike Alsbury, 39, died when Virgin Galactic's prototype reusable space plane apparently broke apart in midair over the Mojave Desert during a test flight on Friday.

SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave Desert in California on Oct. 31. The co-pilot was killed.

Human Error Caused Virgin Galactic Crash, Investigators Say

4:02pm July 28, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

SpaceShipTwo broke apart during an October test flight because the co-pilot unlocked a section of the spaceship's tail too early, the National Transportation and Safety Board announced.

The unique folding tail section of the Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo may have been a factor in the crash.

National

Even After SpaceShipTwo Crash, Many Space Tourists Hold On To Tickets

2:56pm November 07, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Virgin Galactic says there have been some cancellations in the week since its experimental craft went down, killing the co-pilot. But many ticket holders say they don't plan to ask for refunds.

Queue Listen Now

Wreckage lies near the site where a Virgin Galactic space tourism rocket, SpaceShipTwo, exploded and crashed in Mojave, Calif.

Key Function Deployed Early Before SpaceShipTwo's Crash

7:37am November 03, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

The Virgin Galactic spacecraft deployed a "feathering" system, designed to help it descend back to Earth, was deployed too early. The crash killed one pilot and injured another.

Wreckage lies near the site where a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, crashed in Mojave, Calif., on Friday.

Investigation Of Deadly Spaceship Crash Begins In Mojave Desert

7:55pm November 01, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Federal officials are looking into why the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo crashed in California during a test flight that left one pilot dead.

The commercial space ship, pictured here in an earlier test flight, crashed in the California desert.

1 Dead After Commercial Spaceship Crashes During Test Flight

5:28pm October 31, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

The Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two was undergoing a test flight when it crashed in the California desert. The spaceship is designed to take tourists to space.