Virgin Galactic Says Pin Detached During Recent Spaceflight
- Space tourism firm says issue didn’t pose any safety threat
- Virgin notified FAA after discovery during post-trip review
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Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. experienced an in-flight hardware issue during its most recent crewed space tourism flight, the Richard Branson-founded company said on Monday.
A pin used to align Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane, VSS Unity, and its carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, while both vehicles are mated on the ground later became detached during the Jan. 26 flight. Virgin Galactic said the pin doesn’t support the weight of the spaceplane during the climb to altitude.