Virgin Galactic Update

[Ross365]

This BBC article is interesting more for what it doesn't say, than what it does say about Branson's project.
I wonder what the Italians think they will achieve by sending three of their finest on a Branson flight? Cheap unmanned sounding rockets have been doing "quicky" experiments on the edge of space for decades. Perhaps that is not a purely "commercial" flight with paid for fliers? If you suspect that I'm not a Branson fan, you're right!

 

[Kayos]

American publication has negative press about British entrepreneur, thats a surprise....

 

[Ross365]

The FAA report in to the flight anomalies will be interesting. This is such a wonderfully entrepreneurial project, that after just its second flight, it will be out of service until the "middle of next year" for "upgrades". The profits at Galactic must be... a bit slim, possibly negative? Perhaps the "upgrades" will include transfer to become a museum piece? Wonder what Bezos will do during that period?

Remember that 3 or 4 people were killed testing Branson's rocket motor and a test pilot died making an early test flight.

 

[Richiew]

I'm not a fan of the bloke either but he had enough faith in the project to take a seat himself.

 

[Ross365]

I'm not a fan of the bloke either but he had enough faith in the project to take a seat himself.

I don't think he had much choice after Bezos (who I think makes Branson look like a Saint) said that both he and his brother would fly on his craft.
And if Branson took a risk, then it's important to note that he was the sole beneficiary of the outcome and that outcome would be largely in monetary form, or food for his ego, as per his balloon flights. I don't see any philanthropic aspect to it. Now, compare and contrast that with the risks that NHS workers were taking at the height of Covid and some of those died. I'm choosey about my heroes.

 

[roofman]

I contribute to his flying games every month when i get my Virgin media bill

 

[Ross365]

Ohh, the FAA have grounded him .

 

[atomant48]

Is it Branson himself or the programme you’re not a fan of? I’m struggling to tell from the posts but I am only just having my second coffee!

From a technical point I find the programme really interesting and that very sad accident where it broke up in mid air was almost a textbook accident sequence. I do wonder though if there are more needy causes at present than rich folk going to space for a couple mins.

 

[Ross365]

I'm not a fan of either really. If Branson is a wonderful British Entrepreneur, why does he spend so much cash in the USA?

To understand where Virgin Galactic (VG) are now you have to go back ~20 years (and some may know all about this, others may not). There was a legendary American aeronautics engineer called Burt Rutan and his company "Scaled Composites". Towards the end of his long career, he built a craft called "Spaceship One" which won a longstanding competition for a flight to 100km altitude. Branson noticed the publicity this generated at the time and went along with a bag full of cash and got Rutan to agree to develop a bigger version (called "Spaceship Two" - which is the current VG craft) which could carry passengers.

Early in the programme, an explosion killed 3 people, injuring several more, while ground-testing the rocket motor; the precise cause was not pinned down in the following detailed inquiry. Later on, a test flight failed, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the co-pilot. At some stage, Branson set up a separate company from Scaled Composites to pursue the project and it's a bit fuzzy now as to Scaled Composite's involvement. The design of the rocket motor has been changed and changed back again. However, the project is years behind schedule and questions are being asked about the "safety culture" at VG given the commercial pressures in which it now operates, with competition from Bezos (is that fight already lost?). Rutan has long since retired.

All of the above info is readily findable on Google. It's not a project worthy of admiration.