Virgin Galactic has been cleared to fly FAA-licenced spaceflights following the conclusion of an inquiry that focused on air traffic control clearance and real-time mission notification related to the Unity 22 flight in July.

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.

Seats aboard Richard Branson’s spaceship have reopened for sale in the past week, skyrocketing in price.

Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed space flight on Sunday (US time) grabbed the media spotlight in the past week, but rival commercial space tourism enterprise Blue Origin will have bragging rights of its own next week.

Reservations opened this week for a new luxury travel experience that will take small groups higher than ever before – up to 30 kilometres (around 10,000-feet) into the earth’s atmosphere.

Virgin Galactic has unveiled the company’s first Spaceship III in its growing fleet, dubbed VSS Imagine.

Virgin Galactic had around 1,000 wannabe astronauts enrol in its “One Small Step” program offered in 2020, potentially generating future revenue of more than US$250 million for the space tourism venture.