By Joey Roulette
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc has completed a lengthy upgrade period for its centerpiece tourist spacecraft, with commercial service on track to begin in the second quarter of 2023, the company announced on Tuesday.
The company, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, had suspended flights of the spaceplane VSS Unity and its carrier plane in 2021 to make various spacecraft enhancements, delaying the company’s debut customer mission to the edge of space.
“Our near-term objective for commercial spaceline operations is to safely deliver recurring flights with our current ships while providing an unrivaled experience for private astronauts and researchers,” Virgin Galactic chief executive Michael Colglazier said in a statement.
(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)
