FAA Grounds Virgin Galactic Following Richard Branson's Flight To Space

The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into Sir Richard Branson's July 11 flight to the edge of space. Branson flew on Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity and climbed to a maximum altitude of more than 53 miles, making him the first billionaire to reach space.

The FAA said that it is looking into reports that the ship changed its course as it returned to Spaceport America in New Mexico.

"During its July 11, 2021 flight, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo vehicle deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America," the FAA told FOX Business in a written statement. "The FAA investigation is ongoing."

While the agency conducts its investigation, Virgin Galatic is barred from operating any flights involving the SpaceShipTwo vehicle.

“Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety,” the FAA said in a statement.

Nicholas Schmidle of the New Yorker reported that warning lights came on during the flight, indicating that the plane had a trajectory problem. The pilots managed to solve the issue and landed safely.

Virgin Galatic acknowledged that the space plane did alter its trajectory but said that it remained inside the "lateral confines of the protected airspace."

"Unity 22 was a safe and successful test flight that adhered to our flight procedures and training protocols. When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds which changed the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure it remained within mission parameters," the company said in a statement.

"As a result of the trajectory adjustment, the flight did drop below the altitude of the airspace that is protected for Virgin Galactic missions for a short distance and time (1 minute and 41 seconds) before re-entering restricted airspace that is protected all the way to the ground for Virgin Galactic missions," the statement continued.