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Virgin Galactic Moving Operations To Spaceport America

 

Virgin Galactic is not setting a launch date yet for its first commercial space tourism flight as it begins moving 100 personnel, a rocket ship and launch-support vehicle to a spaceport facility in New Mexico.

Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides said Friday that an interior cabin is being tested for commercial operations and that a small, undisclosed number of test flights are pending.

Pilots are among the personnel moving from California to begin acclimating to flying conditions above the high desert in southern New Mexico.

Whitesides says the company is in the "home stretch" toward its first commercial space flight and declined to specify deadlines.

He joined Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson in thanking New Mexico politicians and residents for their patience and taxpayer investments in the Spaceport America hangar and launch facility.

Branson envisions a future with hotels in space and near-space transcontinental flights but cautioned that "we need the financial impetus to do all that."