The Federal Aviation Administration grounds the Virgin Galactic fleet following irregularities in the recent VSS Unity flight carrying Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson into suborbital space. The FAA notes that deviations from the filed flight plan occurred during that flight, briefly taking the spacecraft into civilian commercial airspace during its ascent. An agreement will eventually be reached to expand the airspace surrounding Virgin Galactic’s New Mexico Spaceport America facility for future flights; commercial flights will not resume until 2023, allowing for upgrades to the vehicles.
