Virgin Galactic plane drops pin while carrying passengers into space

US Virgin Galactic announced a small part accidentally fell off its rocket-powered space plane carrier during its most recent space tourism flight.

Virgin Galactic's VMS Eve cargo plane. Photo: Tech Crunch — Virgin Galactic's VMS Eve cargo plane. Photo: *Tech Crunch*

The loss of the part, called the centering pin, does not affect the safety of the mission. The Galactic 06 flight launched on January 26 marked Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism mission of the year after it begins commercial operations in 2023, CNN reported on February 6. The company discovered the missing part during a routine inspection and notified government authorities on January 31, as required by law.

The centering pin is located on the underbelly of the carrier aircraft, called VMS Eve. It is a twin-fuselage aircraft designed to carry the VMS Unity spacecraft under its wings to a certain altitude before VMS Unity separates and flies to the edge of space. The centering pin helps ensure that the spacecraft is aligned with the carrier aircraft when the two vehicles are coupled on the ground during pre-flight operations. The centering pin also helps transfer drag and other forces from the carrier aircraft to support the spacecraft’s support as it flies alongside VMS Eve.

The larger docking structure remains in place during flight. According to Virgin Galactic, the centering pin does not support the weight of the carrier aircraft and serves a practical function when the spaceplane is released. VMS Unity typically stays attached to VMS Eve until it reaches an altitude of more than 45,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. It then separates from the carrier aircraft and fires its rocket engine to climb to the edge of the atmosphere.

Virgin Galactic will work with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which licenses commercial rocket launches, to assess the issue. The FAA said it will conduct a risk assessment. It will need to approve a final report, including Virgin Galactic's corrective actions, before the company can fly again.

Overall, the Galactic 06 mission was a successful flight, conducted according to the company’s strict flight procedures. The flight took place in restricted airspace and at a dedicated launch site, which helped control the risk to people or structures on the ground. The company also found no damage to the spacecraft or the carrier aircraft.

Virgin Galactic will provide further updates once it completes its review with the FAA and confirms flight timing for the Galactic 07 mission, which is expected to take place in Q2 2024.

An Khang (According to CNN )

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