Virgin Galactic Reports Pin Malfunction

(RTTNews) - Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson, has recently informed the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that an alignment pin became detached from the mechanism used to connect their suborbital spaceplane, VSS Unity, to its carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, during a flight on January 26, 2022.

The alignment pin, which is used to align the spaceplane and the carrier aircraft while on the ground, became dislodged after VSS Unity was deployed and no longer served an active function for the remainder of the flight.

The company did not provide any details regarding the cause of the pin malfunction, but they discovered the issue during routine post-flight reviews. They notified the FAA of the incident on January 31, and they are currently conducting a joint review with the FAA.

The FAA has stated that it will conduct a "mishap investigation" and has emphasized that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap must not compromise public safety before Virgin Galactic can resume flying.

It is worth noting that Virgin Galactic has faced multiple in-flight challenges in the past. In 2021, during the flight that carried Branson to space, the spaceplane veered off its intended flight path, resulting in an FAA-led mishap investigation. Furthermore, in 2014, a Virgin Galactic-operated spaceplane crashed due to premature wing shifting, resulting in the death of one test pilot and injuring another.

Virgin Galactic has stated that they will provide updates and confirm the schedule of their next mission, which is currently planned for sometime between April and June, after completing the review with the FAA. The review is occurring amidst increased scrutiny on the FAA and the aerospace sector following the repercussions of manufacturing issues with Boeing Co.'s 737 Max 9 jets.