The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has told Virgin Galactic it cannot proceed with any future space launches following a mishap that occurred on the most recent spaceflight which was carrying Virgin founder, Richard Branson.

Virgin Galactic has completed another vital step on its path to commercial service, relocating SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, to its commercial headquarters at Spaceport America’s Gateway to Space building. VSS Unity, attached to the carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, made the journey from Mojave, California, where the company’s manufacturing facilities are based, where it was greeted by an enthusiastic group of teammates who will operate the spaceship in New Mexico.

The Spaceship Company has taken a key step on the path to completing the next spaceship in Virgin Galactic’s fleet. The team has attached the structure of SpaceShipTwo’s unique ‘feather system’ to the wing of the new vehicle, in what is the union of two major components of the airframe. This latest milestone is the final step prior to resting the vehicle’s weight on its wheels.

Virgin Galactic has this month begun preparing Future Astronaut customers for their space flights, commencing its week-long ‘Astronaut Readiness Program’. The company said it has begun finalising all elements of the customer experience, including the Under Armour spacesuits and the fit-out of Virgin Galactic’s Gateway to Space HQ at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The next phase in this process is to ensure that Future Astronauts are optimally prepared to fly to space.

A few milestones were achieved this week at Virgin Galactic, which has bonded the fuselage and cabin of its next spaceship to the completed wing assembly.

History has been made and a long-anticipated dream realised in Mojave, California, as Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, landed from her maiden spaceflight to cheers from Richard Branson and the teams from Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company.