FAA Clears Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo to Fly Again After Investigation Into July Flight Mishap

The Virgin Galactic rocket plane, the WhiteKnightTwo carrier airplane, with SpaceShipTwo passenger craft takes off from Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif., on Feb. 22, 2019. Gene Blevins/File Photo/Reuters

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo to fly again following an inquiry into a incident during its July spaceflight, the company announced Wednesday.

The FAA announced in August that it was investigating the mishap in which a rocket ship carrying Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees veered off course during its descent back to New Mexico on July 11. The deviation put the ship outside the air traffic control clearance area.